If you were born roughly between 1996 and 2002, you probably grew up watching Victoria Justice’s The name appeared on the TV screen in your family room. whether you know him from nickelodeon zoey 101 (My senior editors and directors, please rise) or victorious (My hand is raised high in the air right now), Justice was the epitome of cool-girl style — from the bright blue streaks in Lola Martinez’s hair to Tori Vega’s trendy la outfits And long, blown, bouncy curls. But when I meet Justice on the call, I find the star in a much more relaxed state: wrapped in a robe and ready to reveal the latest in her personal beauty journey — a new fragrance venture called nude perfume.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Naked Perfume)
The brand, launched in collaboration with longtime beauty founder Randy Shinder, seemed almost fated as a shared passion for beauty and an unlikely health problem tied them together. “We connected immediately over the fact that we both have Hashimoto’s, which is an autoimmune disorder,” she tells Who What Wear. The disease, which occurs when the immune system attacks healthy thyroid glands (according to). Mayo Clinic), causing the two women to approach beauty – particularly the products they use on their skin (“It’s the biggest part of your body!” Justice exclaims later) – very differently.
“(Shinder) was telling me how much of an impact it has had on her life… and how she wanted to create a nice fragrance that wouldn’t harm people in any way,” she explains. “Hearing that was like music to my ears. We both immediately jumped in and said, ‘Okay, we need to do this together.'” From there, Justice — who had taken a tragic hiatus from perfume due to adverse side effects on her immune system — rejoined the world of fragrance wearers. Honey Cream of Nude Perfume. “I’ve been wearing it all the time lately,” she explains, before explaining the scent’s lusciously sweet skin scent, which is made from a total of six ingredients that don’t read like science experiments.
Keep reading for our entire conversation with Justice, covering everything from her current obsession with fragrance to her earliest memories on set, and how wellness continues to shape her approach to beauty, style, and life.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Naked Perfume)
How do you feel about this exciting new venture?
I’m very, very, very excited. I’ve wanted to create a brand for a long time, but I wasn’t going to do anything until it felt right and it felt completely authentic to me. I am very fond of naked perfumes. I love the smell of it – it’s totally addicting – but the fact that I know it won’t harm the people who put it on their bodies just makes it that much better.
We’re starting off with two scents, right?
Yes, we’re starting with two scents. The first is Honey Cream, which I’ve been wearing all the time lately. It has notes of honey, vanilla and sweet cream, but it smells just like a warm hug. It’s super relaxing, sweet and beautiful without being overpowering. I think that’s what I love most about nude perfume: that it becomes a second skin. It would never be too strong or too heavy, which was one of the requirements for me.
Fresh Foam is our second scent, and it’s gorgeous. This is a very clean, bubble bath-soap scent. It’s really fresh, clean and delicious. I love them both. And then there’s still more to come, so this is just the beginning.
Break down these two scents for me—what scenario are you spraying these for? What kind of mood do they put you in?
For now, honey cream would be my favorite option date night scent Because it’s subtly sexy, charming, and sweet. As soon as I spray it, I feel a boost of confidence, and the final step of my getting ready process is complete. But Fresh Foam, to me, is an everyday scent. It feels like this: You’re a working woman, you live out of town, but you still want to feel clean.
The composition of this fragrance is extremely personal to you. Can you tell me why the idea behind being “naked” matters today?
In general, people are becoming much more aware. They’re becoming more conscious of the things they put into their bodies, and I think we’re expecting more from brands. …So many fragrances contain ingredients we can’t even pronounce, and we don’t even know what they are. Ultimately, a lot of them are actually harmful to women, our hormones, and our endocrine system. That was really important to both Randy and me: to create a good scent while being transparent about the ingredients, and (that) there are no hormones or endocrine disruptors.
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, I became much more conscious of my lifestyle and the things I was putting on my body. Fragrance is one of those things that I said, “Well, most of the perfumes that I like are bad for my endocrine system and my hormones,” so I stopped wearing it for a while, which was an unpleasant thing because it becomes a part of your identity.
I was looking for something in a clean-smelling space, and I reached out to my agent. As soon as I tried Honey Cream, I was addicted. I was wearing this sample every day—I was completely obsessed with it. I loved that it wasn’t too overpowering – it just felt sexy, warm and inviting – and I too loved That all the ingredients were clean. I like the fact that it’s micellar water-based, that it comes from coconut, (and) that it’s naturally derived (and made with natural fragrances).
Now I am a co-founder with (Shindar), and we have created many other fragrances that are yet to be revealed. We’re working on some peptide perfumes – which is somewhat of a secret at the moment – but I’m very excited about that too. …If we can help women in any way to not compromise their immune systems or deal with thyroid disorders, we want to do that. It has a nice scent that is better for you.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Naked Perfume)
Wait, a peptide perfume?
Yes! We’ll definitely be announcing more soon. There are lots more exciting products coming in the future, but for now, we’re launching with our first two babies.
I can’t wait. To take it back a bit, what is your earliest memory of beauty?
When I was little I loved playing dress-up with my friends. After Halloween, all costumes will be 50% off, and my mom will buy lots of amazing dress-up clothes for me and my friends. I remember wearing these little sequin dresses and my feather boas, standing in front of my little vanity, stealing my mom’s lipstick and applying it on the mirror. And my mom always wore blush, so I remember when I was in elementary school and I would beg her every day (to let me wear blush, too).
The dress-up makeover was everything. What about fragrance?
One of the first perfumes that I was either given for Christmas or that I bought was a Britney Spears fragrance called Curious. It was in a turquoise, diamond-looking bottle, and had two pink heart charms on it. I thought it was the coolest thing ever—I felt like the coolest girl ever with that perfume.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Naked Perfume)
I think wearing that perfume will make you the best girl ever. You were working on Famous TV sets as a teenager at the time – what were your beauty rituals like back then?
To be honest, when I was doing zoey 101 And victoriousI didn’t really have any crazy beauty rituals. The strangest thing is that at that age my skin was so good that I would come home and wash off my makeup with soft soap from the sets. I didn’t even use the usual face cleanser – I didn’t know enough to know that I would only use hand soap, and it wouldn’t have mattered. But I turned 20, got Hashimoto’s, and was given thyroid hormone, which I believe activates adult cystic acne. From then on, I was definitely not using softsoap anymore.
We all go through a skin care evolution. Did you ever learn beauty tips on set that you still use today?
After becoming familiar with different lashes… as soon as I saw what those babies could do to flatter your eyes and take the look to the next level, I said, “This is cool!”
Victoria Justice and Jamie Lynn Spears on the set of zoey 101.
(Image credit: Everett Collection)
We love a good whip. Speaking of set, what do you think Lola Martinez (Zoey 101) and Tori Vega (Victorious) would smell like today?
For Lola- We have a fragrance we are planning for this summer. Its odor free. It’s the beach, it’s covered in sunlight—it smells like summer and the skin is wet. I think it’s triggering a sense memory, because we filmed zoey 101 At Pepperdine University in Malibu, you’re right by the ocean. We always lived in the sun and near the water, so I saw her in this easy, airy, summer scent.
And Tori Vega seems more classic to me. I could see her wearing Honey Cream or Fresh Leather. I feel like she’s swinging between the two – maybe Fresh Leather when she’s going to class at Hollywood Arts, and then I see Honey Cream when she’s out on stage, performing, or just doing something really creative and fun.
(Left to Right) Leon Thomas III, Victoria Justice, Avan Jogia and Elizabeth Gillies on set victorious.
(Image credit: Everett Collection)
