She Said’s Sarah Ann Masse Reveals Her Favorite Sunscreen for Highly Sensitive Skin and the At Home Tools that Reduce Pain and Stress

Breaking the silence… Sarah Ann Masse wears many hats, including those with UPF 50. She's learned how to speak up, empower others, and protect herself both on screen and off.

Now she is sharing how she creates calm at home while working in Hollywood, how she cares for her highly sensitive skin, and the vegan haircare brand she favors for her lusciously curly hair. 

B: You portray New York Times reporter Emily Steel in the new Universal Pictures release, She Said, so I feel like my questions better be really good. I want to be very direct and get right to the point…

How do you maintain your perfect skin? 

SAM: Ha! Genetics. No, I'm just lucky. Both of my parents have beautiful skin and are pretty ageless, so I think I had some of that passed down. I’m also vegan and drink 40 oz of water four times a day. I love Carlsbad Alkaline Water. I also use really clean products. I have very sensitive skin and a lot of allergies, so I'm really, really careful about the products I use and am allergic to most sunscreens, so I try to stay out of the sun. I wear hats, I wear sunglasses all the time, and I just try to protect my skin.

B: I haven’t interviewed someone who is allergic to something as important as sunscreen. Can you share exactly what you do to protect your skin and some of the products you are able to use?

SAM: I wear a lot of hats. I always try to buy hats that have UPF 50 and the same with swimsuits. My skin is interesting because the skin on my face is very fair, and I can burn very easily. The skin on my body is like my mom's skin. She's Irish and very pale with freckles. My dad has sort of darker more olive tone skin, so my body doesn't burn as easily, and I have a little more leeway with that.

But even my bathing suits all have UPF 50 material, and I just try to hide under the umbrellas. I do have two products that I use. Unscented LUXE Lotion is kind of like my holy grail and it's completely unscented and no dyes. It's created by a woman who had cancer and she was really concerned about the products she was putting on her body. It has raspberry seed oil which is a natural SPF. It's not a very high SPF - it's roughly equivalent to SPF 15, but I use this every day, multiple times a day. I slather it on before I go out in the sun.

I recently discovered this ILIA product - Organic Radiant Translucent Powder Moondance Flow-Thru. It’s a translucent powder with SPF 20 and I haven't reacted to it. I also think I'm sensitive to something in the creme foundations and titanium dioxide. If I use non-nano particle uncoated zinc oxide, I seem to be OK, so I'm always experimenting and always trying to figure out what I can use.

B: Do you have a daily skincare regime?

SAM: For a long time, I would just use a gentle face wash maybe a micellar water and a good moisturizer and that was it. I was trying to find cleaner products and it took me awhile. Lately, I've been using Mother Dirt Prebiotic Foaming Cleanser face wash for a really long time and love it. I now do a triple cleanse. I use Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Water. I use the Cocokind Oil to Milk cleanser and then I use the Mother Dirt Prebiotic Foaming Cleanser or the No B.S. Foaming Cleanser. 

I skin cycle, so mornings are always the same. I always use the Cocokind Glow Essence with Sea Grape Caviar followed by the Cocokind Vitamin C Serum with Sea Grape Caviar and the Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum with Sea Grape Essence. I always use those in the morning and then my moisturizer which is the Luxe Lotion Face, Neck & Hand Moisturizer.

At night I either do exfoliation or retinoids. For exfoliation I use Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner and then I use the Cocokind Turmeric Illuminating Solution. Once a week I will usually use, The Ordinary AHA + BHA Peeling Mask which I love. Then on my retinoid night I use, The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion (not the oil) and I like that a lot or the Cocokind Resurfacing Sleep Mask. Even though I have sensitive skin I haven't had any reaction to those.

I also spot treat as needed with the Cocokind Pore Refining Concentrate or Cocokind Tumeric Tonic. Then, as a final step, if I really want some extra moisture, I'll use the Cocokind Texture Smoothing Cream or the Cocokind Chia Bounce Mask before my Luxe lotion.

B: It's not easy being comfortable in one's own skin and then you have the challenges of being allergic to so many products. Did you have any issues with the makeup products while you were working on She Said, and did you discover any new products that you loved?

SAM: For She Said, the entire look was supposed to be very natural, so everyone you see in the film looks like the real people they are portraying wearing everyday makeup. My character Emily got to be a little more colorful and glamorous than some of the other characters because Emily in real life wears patterns, colors and sometimes a red lipstick.

On set I always have the challenge of, "Do I tell them everything I'm allergic to and hope they have products that will accommodate?" or go with “It's only a few days and hopefully my skin will make it through.” I did tell them I react to fragrances, dimethicones and silicones, and they were good about that.

I normally don't really wear make-up. Today I combed my brows, I have some mascara on, a little bit of gel blush, some lip gloss, and that's it.

B: You also have the most beautiful long hair. Did you have to make any adjustments to it for this role?

SAM:  Emily and I look quite a lot alike. She's fair with dark hair and I have very long, quite curly wavy hair which I fought for most of my life. I straightened the hell out of my hair for a very long time, but Emily's hair is straighter and much shorter than mine.

My first day on set I was talking to the hair stylist looking at pictures of Emily and she said, "Your hair is actually a lot longer than Emily's" and then the next thing I knew she took out a straight razor and within three minutes, six inches of my hair was gone! It was massively impressive. I'd never seen someone cut hair with a straight razor before. It was so perfect and aligned with nothing out of place. Because of Covid, I didn’t have a hair cut for almost two years, so I was grateful. 

B: Were you actually thinking, "Whack it off?"

SAM: Yes, but we were filming in the summer and my hair just grows and grows. The first day they just straightened it and tried to calm down the textures. Other days one of the hair stylists took the front sections of my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail underneath the rest of my hair to keep it from falling into my face. I thought, "Oh, this is genius," because I've been an actor forever and it's always a challenge. My hair is constantly falling into my face. It was a nice little trick I’m going to continue using.

B: You talked about how your hair was curly but that you always wanted it straight. What did you do to straighten it?

SAM: Growing up I didn’t realize that I had curly hair. I just knew it was difficult hair. Everybody had stiff straight hair. Everybody had a straightening iron. We just burned the crap out of our hair and that's what I did from when I was a teenager onwards - I just had to straighten my hair. My hair also takes a very long time to dry because it’s really thick, so I would blast it with the highest level I could and straighten it while it was still wet, which was terrible.

Then I got to a point where I didn’t want to do it anymore. I was tired and it took too long. I decided to see what would happen to my hair after just leaving it alone. I discovered what my hair really looked like- it’s curly. And, when it's shorter it's even curlier because the weight drags it down a bit. Now I only use products specifically for curly hair. 

B: Please share the products you are using and are they vegan?

SAM:  Everything I use is vegan and unscented.  Love UR Curls has an unscented silicone-free line for both curly and wavy hair. I use the curly hair Gentle & Moisturizing Sulfate-Free Shampoo, Hydrating & Detangling Silicone-Free Conditioner and All-in-One Curl Creme. I do cycle shampoos because I feel like my hair gets used to it after a while.

I'll switch out with a clarifying shampoo because the water in LA just fills my hair with gunk and I need a clarifying shampoo every once in a while. I use the Dyson hair dryer. It's the only thing that comes even close to getting my hair dry with a diffuser. I showered hours ago and my hair is still wet. Sometimes I just want to shave it all off. 

B: What if you’re offered a role where you have to shave it off - would you really be willing to do it? 

SAM:  I definitely would. I've never dyed my hair, but I have experimented with length. When I was eleven, I went to the hair salon and said, "Cut it all off, I want it this short," and they said "Ugh, you're pretty skinny and flat chested and everybody is going to think you are a boy," and I said, "I don't care. I want short hair it's going to be chic - like a Parisian bob. I want it." So, they cut it and I loved it. Then I had a graduated bob for a while when I lived in New York. I loved playing with that. I wear wigs a lot as I do a lot of sketch comedy. 

B:  You and your British husband, Nick Afka Thomas have gotten over 15 million views for your sketch comedy bits you do on your YouTube channel @wearethomasse, and before Covid you used to have your live shows at Second City in Hollywood. That must be fun to play around with all your hair looks for those routines.

SAM: Yes, that's another way I get to play with my hair.

B: You started the organization Hire Survivors Hollywood to help actors who have spoken out about harassment. Do you ever think of specific movie stars from old Hollywood that you were inspired by and perhaps have a new perspective on knowing now what they probably had to go through to be successful in Hollywood?

SAM: Yes, I always loved Katherine Hepburn and Lucille Ball. What I loved about Lucille Ball is that she never had any vanity. I always say, "There's no vanity in comedy." She was gorgeous and beautiful, but she would do whatever it took to get the laugh and she was such a revolutionary when it came to this industry. The multi-cam sitcom came from her show. She helped make sure that Star Trek got on the air. She was just so great, and I always admired and looked up to her. 

Katherine Hepburn was always herself. She wore pants and she was tough, funny and gutsy. Then there was Hedy Lamarr who was also a brilliant scientist and inventor and was just treated like this beauty, but she had all these brains and all these things going for her outside of her looks.

I always admire people like that because I think as actors, sometimes we are just treated around what we look like. We have to look a certain way or be a certain size or shape or color or race. I've always rejected that and look to people who have pushed back against those things.

I have been an actor for a long time and was assaulted by Harvey Weinstein myself and was also assaulted by fellow actors, so I know unfortunately quite intimately about the power dynamics and what the abuse can look like for people in this industry. It's why I was really excited to do this film, but it's also why I have my organization which pushes back, not just against abuse, but the retaliation that people who speak up and are abused face, and the barriers for survivors of sexual violence.

Even if we are not facing direct retaliation, we are facing this implicit retaliation because it's not safe to be in those environments. You might be working alongside an abuser, there might not be an HR department, there may not be protocols if something goes wrong. This is why I'm really passionate about doing this work.

B: I can't help but think how wearing makeup has been villainized too, when people say, “She had it coming,” because of the way someone dressed or the makeup they wore. But makeup can be very empowering. What are your thoughts?

SAM: Victim blaming is bullsh-t, pardon my French. It's something I have no patience for. I think makeup is great and either use it or don't use it. Or use it as you want it, because just like fashion or interior design, it's a way to express your personality or part of your aesthetic. I love fashion and I love makeup, even though I don't wear it at home, because it allows me to show different sides of myself.

Every time I have the opportunity to be on the red carpet or go to an event I think, OK, what is this moment? What story do I want to tell? What part of myself do I want to portray? How do I want this moment to feel? It's going to be captured forever and makeup, clothing and hair allow you to tell a story. I'm a storyteller and an actor and a filmmaker, and this is part of it.

B: Speaking of red carpets, this movie is getting so much award show buzz and that means more red carpet appearances. Not everybody loves dressing up for red carpets. Do you? 

SAM:   I love playing dress up. I get paid to dress up professionally. That's part of my job as an actor and the clothes and the shoes and the hair - it all transforms you. It helps you get into the head space of that character. When I go to an event, whether I'm being styled or I'm styling myself, it's not that I'm playing a character - it's me showing off a part of my personality.

With this film, it's my first studio feature. I've dealt with career retaliation for the past five years. It's been really tough and this movie matters so much because the story matters. It's deeply personal to me, but I also wanted every moment of it to feel like a celebration. The movie can be difficult, but it is ultimately really transformative and healing and celebratory of the power of truth and of the power of joining together and triumphing over abuse and these harmful people. 

B:  I've loved some of your red carpet looks already. Can you share with us some of the insights into your first premieres of the season?

SAM:  The first premiere was at the New York Film Festival. I lived on the upper west side and went to Alice Tully Hall to listen to symphonies and now I was going there to see myself in this film and be surrounded by fellow survivors. It took a while, but I worked with stylist Kat Eves to find the right dress.

I ended up going for this navy blue off the shoulder dress. It felt very 50's, very old Hollywood. LuAnn Claps did my hair and makeup and I had sort of a Veronica Lake hair style going on. My makeup was probably the closest to how I normally wear it and I just felt good. I felt powerful. I felt like I was taking in the moment. I felt comfortable which was always really important.

Then I went to the Women in Film event. I love Women in Film. They are a partner organization for my organization, Hire Survivors Hollywood and we were going to celebrate Jodi Kantor, Carey Mulligan, Dede Gardner, and Megan Twohey receiving this award.

I've always loved hot pink. I wear black almost all the time, but pink is my color. For the longest time I couldn't find 'that' shade. I love 'millennial' pink, but it looks terrible on me. It just doesn't suit me, so when Barbie core became a thing, I was like, "Ahhh, finally I can buy clothes that I've always wanted." I found this dress on the runway and talked to my hair and makeup artist Lauren Bencomo, and we thought, "This is a mod moment. Let's do this high slick pony and let's go with lashes.”  It’s more than I usually do, but it felt really fun and joyful. 

B: I also loved the pink that you wore for the advanced screening of She Said for Hire Survivors Hollywood. 

SAM:   Oh, you saw that! Yes. That one I styled myself and Erica "Bunny" Armendariz did my hair and makeup. I had this vision of a Betsey Johnson look. I was excited because it wasn't a premiere, but it was my opportunity to show this film to my community that I had built with my organization. I felt like so many people would think it would be heavy.

I just wanted them to know this is a celebration. I had this big pink skirt and a body suit with these fun tulle arms and a gift bow of a belt. I just wanted to feel good. A lot of people said I looked like a princess. My name means princess. I'll accept it.

B: Tell me about your American Film Institute look. You wore a braided crown.

SAM:   For AFI, I really wanted it to be a big dramatic Hollywood moment. I was going to Grauman's, this legendary place. I've walked the carpets before and it's been great but at AFI there were thirty or forty photographers and had that moment when they were shouting, "Sarah! Over here! Sarah! Look over your shoulder! Show us the back of your dress!" It felt like a movie star moment. I always knew no matter what I wore, I wanted a braided crown.

B: Usually you wear your hair down. What did Caitlin Krenz, your hair stylist do to accomplish that look?

SAM:  She didn't use a lot, actually. I think she used a little dry shampoo and just something to slick down the flyaways. She just really braided it beautifully. I didn't even feel the pins - sometimes they get jabbed into your skull. It felt comfortable and like it was going to hold.

It was Kat Eves, my wardrobe stylist who had the idea to put the sort of silver beads through my hair. Caitlin found them at Michael's. I don't always love my hair when it's up and I don't love when it's super slicked back, so this was nice. I still had volume in the front because of the braid and it was structured.

It just let me feel a little bit like a goddess and it let me feel again like I could stand in my power, be really comfortable, and really secure that everything was going to look good all night. It was a special moment and I was so happy to have that special hair style to help tell that story.  

B:    Between the activism and acting there must be a lot of stress. Do you have any products that help you relax at home? 

SAM:  I do I have a lot of stress. A lot of trauma. I also have a lot of chronic illness and fatigue. A couple of years ago I found a place in LA that has these lymphatic drainage cuffs that go on your arms, your legs and your abdomen. They also have an infrared-like burrito basically that you lay in afterwards. I went a few times and it helped so much with my pain.

I also found a little at home pop up tent – it’s an infrared sauna that you can fold up. It has really helped with the pain and it helps me relax and unwind.  It’s called Durherm Infrared Sauna and it's low EMF's. I'm sensitive to EMF's as well, so I looked for one that was low. It’s been really great. I even take it with me when I travel.

B:  I love that you created your own at home healing sauna. Do you have any other at home treatments or specific products you love to use for your peace of mind and health?

SAM: I also have a device called Sensate. It looks like a little black bean and you put it on your chest. There is a free app on your phone. It does all of these vibrations and there's a soundtrack that goes with it. It helps tone your Vagus nerve and helps calm your whole system down.

I also recently invested in a red light panel called Revive Light Therapy. It has three settings - red light, red and blue, and blue. I use it on my face and neck and everything for beauty, but I also use it on my stomach when I'm having pains from digestion or on my back when it's sore, and it really helps with the pain and inflammation. Everything I use is really soothing.

B: Sounds like you'll be relaxed and ready for award show season. Which must-have product will be in your purse?

SAM:  Lip balm. I'm obsessed with lip balm. Soothing Touch Unscented Vegan Lip Balm is my favorite brand they have a bunch of different flavors. I apply lip balm about thirty times a day, and when I was a kid I did the same, but it was Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers. Not the best ingredients in the world, and I definitely had that thing where I would get the rebound dryness.

Soothing Touch doesn’t do that - it's mostly coconut oil and shea butter and I carry it with me everywhere. And then I'll have my little palette of whatever the lip color is to retouch throughout the night.

The great thing about makeup for the red carpet is it's so good. It's so solid, it doesn't budge. I’m not used to having full coverage foundation – I usually want to lighten it up. I still haven't found a foundation that I love, but I usually just make my own BB cream by mixing my moisturizer with a foundation because I can’t do full coverage. I always use the Luxe Lotion and right now I'm using an ILIA True Skin Serum Foundation which is pretty good.

B: I think we have found the magic foundation. It's #HireSurvivorsHollywood and you've really helped change a lot of lives. Thank you for sharing your journey with Beautytap and for your beauty inside and out.

You can follow Sarah Ann Masse on Instagram @sarahannmasse, Twitter @sarahannmasse , YouTube @wearethomasse, and catch her in the current Universal Pictures Film Release, She Said streaming and in theaters now.