There’s no time like the present to leverage the power of the human voice and storytelling through beauty podcasts. If you’re looking for a distraction, they can offer both escapism and a comforting background as you traverse the day-to-day of life. Fortunately for those who gravitate towards all things beauty and wellness, there are a host of shows, both newly released and longstanding (with an extensive catalogue), that will satiate curiosities, provide enthralling history lessons, and let you be a fly-on-the-wall for amusing tête-à-têtes. From thoughtfully exploring the cult of wellness to retrospectively examining Hollywood’s fraught history with beauty, here are an array of beauty podcasts you can binge in the coming months.
Make Me Over
Author and film scholar Karina Longworth’s beloved Hollywood-history podcast You Must Remember This has set the stage for Make Me Over, an eight-part companion series exploring the intersection of Hollywood and beauty. In each episode, Longworth passes the mic to a guest storyteller who narrates a new story that encompasses the theme, with subjects ranging from silent-film star Molly O’Day, who received Hollywood’s first highly publicised weight-loss surgery, to the story of model and actress Vanessa Williams, the first Black woman to win Miss America, who had to rebuild a career after scandal.
The Baron of Botox
In The Baron of Botox, creator and host Justine Harman takes a deep dive into the untimely death, profound influence, and tragic complexities of pioneering cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Fredric Brandt. From chronicling his childhood growing up in Newark, New Jersey, to finding out what it was really like to get the works from Dr. Brandt inside his Midtown office, the 10-part weekly series reveals the man behind the needle with help from those who were close to him—including former Allure editor in chief Linda Wells and CEO of Dr. Brandt Skincare and co-executor of Brandt’s estate, Stéphane Colleu.
The Sex Ed
In 2018, Liz Goldwyn—filmmaker, writer, and daughter of feminist screenwriter and novelist Peggy Elliott launched The Sex Ed, a platform dedicated to exploring sex, health, and consciousness in the digital age. The brand’s accompanying podcast features candid conversations with a variety of personalities and specialists, from burlesque star Dita Von Teese to Joshua Gonzalez, M.D., who has devoted his career to treating sexual dysfunction with a special concentration on LGBTQ issues.
The Sakara Life Podcast
Organic meal delivery and lifestyle brand Sakara Life’s The Sakara Life Podcast aims to discuss, and help bridge the gap between, ancient rituals and modern science for a happier, healthier life. From eating your medicine with Dr. Mark Hyman to overcoming burnout culture with Arianna Huffington, each week founders Whitney Tingle and Danielle DuBoise have a candid conversation with a guest—think healers, functional medicine practitioners, and entrepreneurs—that’s both fun and informative.
Fat Mascara
Marrying delightfully unfiltered commentary with a wide array of knowledge, Fat Mascara hosts Jessica Matlin and Jennifer Goldstein harness their expertise as beauty editors to discuss industry news, must-have products, and innovative new procedures. What’s more: Each week they tap one of their esteemed and in-demand industry friends to dole out their expertise, as well as supply advice on how to find success in their respective fields. Past guests have included Glossier’s Emily Weiss, editorial hair legend Guido Palau, Beyoncé’s makeup artist Sir John, and skin-care expert Dr. Barbara Sturm.
The Naked Beauty Podcast
As host of The Naked Beauty Podcast, Brooke DeVard Ozaydinli takes a personal approach to talking through beauty trends, self-care rituals, and general wellness, examining how beauty is inextricably linked to culture and identity. This sense of candor extends to her coterie of guests, which run the gamut from Hannah Fallis Bronfman, DJ and founder of HBFIT, to Dr. Chaneve Jeanniton, founder of Epi.logic skincare and oculofacial plastic surgeon.
The goop Podcast
goop’s eponymous podcast, hosted by founder Gwyneth Paltrow and chief content officer Elise Loehnen, is a constant source of thought-provoking conversation around beauty, health, fitness, and mindfulness. The premiere episode featured Oprah, after all! And in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, goop has pivoted to special episodes including an interview with psychiatrist James Gordon, MD, author of The Transformation, about how to deal with prolonged stress, and one with family counselor Kim John Payne on how to help kids adjust to the new normal.
Eyewitness Beauty
This one’s for the Into the Gloss Day Ones. Annie Kreighbaum and Nick Axelrod-Welk have reunited to marry beauty and pop culture for their stylish podcast Eyewitness Beauty, which comes complete with a perfect retro theme song that sounds like it was plucked from a ’70s crime drama. In addition to sharing their immaculate top-shelf product recommendations, the pair brings an impressive roster of guests (Byredo’s Ben Gorham, Fenty Skin ambassador Sean Garrette, and makeup legend Dick Page among them) to the table, as well as touch on a variety of buzzy beauty and health topics, from TikTok beauty trends to I.V. ketamine therapy.
Glowing Up
After a temporary hiatus, Glowing Up podcast hosts Esther Povitsky and Caroline Goldfarb brought back their beloved, laugh-out-loud funny (this editor can testify) show, which telegraphs their journey to finding their “inner glowy goddesses” and brings on a host of personalities in both the beauty and comedy worlds. If you want candid talk around skin issues, vaginal health, and, yes, nipple hairs, these are your girls. Trust.
The Science of Beauty
Who better than Allure’s executive beauty director Jenny Bailly and senior beauty editor Dianna Mazzone to get into the nitty gritty of all you’ve ever wanted to know about hair, makeup, and skin care? To make things as accessible and digestible as possible, each episode of The Science of Beauty is dedicated to a specific topic, such as sunscreen, hyperpigmentation, or curls, and features the expertise of some of the industry’s most trusted and celebrated voices in that category.
Black Girl in Om
Black Girl in Om is an organisation dedicated to the radical healing of Black women and women of colour. Hosted by founder Lauren Ash, their namesake podcast seeks to bring their community “warm embrace, soothing realness, and conscious girl talk” by way of words of affirmation, guided meditations, and transparent conversations with guests such as artist and photographer Deun Ivory and activist and academic Rachel Cargle.
Smell Ya Later
Exploring, quite literally, “every imaginable angle at which we interact with the aromas and odours in our lives,” Smell Ya Later is hosted by beauty writers and self-proclaimed scent fiends Sable Yong and Tynan Sinks. The duo brings their cheeky humour and keen understanding of fragrance to amusing chats with major players, such as Malin+Goetz founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz and iconic French fragrance house Krigler’s fifth-generation perfumer Ben Krigler.
Gloss Angeles
Offering their esteemed beauty editor lens to the industry, L.A.-based Gloss Angeles hosts Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan discuss hot button topics across beauty and pop culture, preview the latest launches (Think: Ariana Grande’s R.e.m. Beauty line), and bring on a lineup of timely and fascinating guests, from Hocus Pocus special effects artist Tony Gardner to dermatologist and skin peel pioneer Dr. Dennis Gross. Bonus for those astrologically inclined, the pairs supplies #BigCapricornEnergy and loves to weave the signs of the zodiac into their discourse.
Breaking Beauty
Hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins have made it their mission to spotlight and emphasise the true breakthroughs of the industry, including pioneering pros like celebrity-approved dermatologist Shereene Idriss and truly innovative beauty products including a TikTok-famous tinted serum that’s also earned their tick of approval. Whether you want to share in the delight of Ulla Johnson’s spring 2022 ombré lip or hear candid conversations about adult acne with the likes of Austin-based aesthetician Renée Rouleau, Breaking Beauty has got you.
This article originally appeared in Vogue.com
