4 things Courteney Cox does daily to bring out her inner beauty

On Friends, Courteney Cox was easily the most high-maintenance of the six-member crew. In spite of her insistence that “I’m breezy!” Monica was anything but.

And for a long time, Cox admits, that anxiety and intensity was a part of her off-screen life, too. But at 53, she’s all about a healthier lifestyle and a natural approach to beauty, she tells NewBeauty. (Maybe she’s been getting tips from fellow Friend and collagen smoothie fan Jennifer Aniston?)

“I was trying so hard to keep up, and that actually made things worse. Now, I’m as natural as I can be.”

“I feel better than I’ve ever felt,” the actress shares. “I was trying so hard to keep up, and that actually made things worse. Now, I’m as natural as I can be.” Has everyone’s favorite “little harmonica” found the secret to a happy mind, body, and soul?

Here’s what Cox does every day to be good to herself.

1. She has a tried-and-true three-minute morning beauty routine

“I start with the Clarisonic to wash my face and then I apply a hot towel,” she tells RealBeauty. “I always put on a peptide of some sort—[Mila Moursi] Rejuvenating Serum or a lifting serum. Sometimes a vitamin C product. I also use [Mila’s] Firming Cream, Oxy Cellular, and Anti-Wrinkle Cream. I alternate those, or sometimes use all of them, depending on how dry I am.”

2. She lets herself smile—filler-free

After years of getting injections that limited her facial movement, Cox admits that she’s since had all of her fillers dissolved. “I feel better because I look like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was,” she says. “Things are going to change. Everything’s going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake.”

3. She eats based on her DNA

Cox, a self-proclaimed “really good eater,” found out four years ago that she has the MTHFR gene mutation. “I suffered miscarriages, my dad died of a really rare cancer, and depression runs in my family, which made my doctor think I should get this gene checked out,” Cox says. “Once I found out how I could absorb nutrients and protect myself from toxins, my whole life shifted.” Now, the actress gives herself a daily shot of methylated vitamin B-12, and says she has more energy.

4. She anchors her life outside the Hollywood bubble

Cox says of her 40-year-old boyfriend, Johnny McDaid: “Looks are not that important to him or his family. External beauty isn’t even on his radar. I used to worry about the age difference, but I don’t think it matters. He appreciates beauty, but it’s deeper than that.”

Originally posted June 22, 2017, updated August 16, 2018. 

Other tips Cox might be getting from BFF Aniston: a love of infrared saunas and coconut oil and (of course!) yoga.