We always see them wearing the most expensive outfits and rocking the most luxurious makeup, but celebrities can look like the neighbor next door when they decide to strip from their drip. Social media became the perfect platform to share fabricated perfect lives, filtered images, and enhanced bodies; luckily, nowadays, more and more people are pushing for legitimacy, mental health, and natural beauty. Therefore when #nomakeup and #wokeuplikethis selfies started trending mainly on Instagram, a few celebrities jumped on board.
New research from Tajmeeli has used global Google search data to reveal the top 20 most Googled celebrities without makeup over the past 12 months. The study finds that A-listers like Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Kylie Jenner, Jennifer Lopez, BTS, Nicki Minaj, and more are owning their natural beauty, and by showing their bare faces, superstars are proving that the no-makeup look is all about confidence.
Find below a list with the most searched no-makeup celebrities, ranked in ascending order of Google searches.
Cardi B
1st Place: Cardi B No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 2,741,160
Cardi B’s no makeup face has attracted significant interest, particularly in the regions of North Macedonia, Slovenia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United States. In September 2020, searches for Cardi without makeup peaked, coinciding with her filing for divorce from Offset in Fulton County, Georgia. The rapper – who has had breast implants, butt augmentation, and liposuction procedures in the past – explains: “I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m great, I’m happy. I’m gonna stay on top with this face, this natural face.”
Ariana Grande
2nd place: Ariana Grande No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 1,188,000
Ariana Grande is known for her dramatic lashes and winged cat eyeliner. According to the star herself, she usually uses Urban Decay’s 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in color Corrupt and Mac Cosmetics’ Haute and Naughty Lash Mascara to achieve her signature look. However, there are those rare occasions where the “Thank U, Next” singer dons the no-makeup look. A quick search on the Net reveals at least 13 occasions Ariana has ditched cosmetics and uploaded fresh-faced selfies. The singer took this no-makeup selfie in 2018.
Kylie Jenner
3rd place: Kylie Jenner No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 1,129,320
Kylie Jenner has gone with no makeup several times. In 2019, a paparazzi photo of her wearing glasses and no makeup made the rounds. The same year, Kylie shared a promo video for her skincare line just before it launched, wearing no makeup in the video. In a season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kylie wore no makeup for a day, undergoing LASIK surgery to correct her vision. She’s also gone bare-faced in many of her Instagram Stories and selfies. Kylie Jenner flaunts her freckles in this makeup-free selfie. While clean-faced, she’s never without a triple stack of eyelash extensions.
Jennifer Lopez
4th place: Jennifer Lopez No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 772,320
On New Year’s Eve (2020), Jennifer Lopez took her makeup off on camera and revealed what she looks like without any products to her fans. Jennifer’s makeup artist, Mary Phillips, says the iconic musician – who denies having had Botox or any injectable or surgery – uses L’Oréal’s Age Perfect Glow Renewal Day Lotion to keep her skin flawless, eats healthy, drink lots of water and fresh juices, exercises, gets regular sleep, and follows an a.m. and p.m. skincare routine.
BTS
5th place: BTS No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 639,840
Although they do not always wear makeup, most BTS members do so when filming music videos and performing. Jungkook, Jin, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, RM, and V are among them.
Nicki Minaj
6th place: Nicki Minaj No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 591,600
Since she began rapping about a decade ago, Nicki Minaj has built a name for herself with outrageous wigs, over-the-top cosmetics, and outrageous clothes, so fans seldom see her without makeup. There are a handful of no-makeup selfies of Nicki on the Internet (12 that we could find) – including a throwback MTV of Nicki in a freestyle rap “Dirty Money.” In an interview with Extra, Nicki claims that she has never gone under the knife but claims she drinks Aloe Vera water to get perfect skin.
Megan Thee Stallion
7th place: Megan Thee Stallion No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 542,400
Looking at photos of Megan Thee Stallion, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this superstar with 24.2m followers on Instagram was still wearing foundation in some of her no-makeup selfies. Still, Megan assures her fans she is “clean-faced.” Megan says that she hasn’t been applying foundation because her hyperpigmentation is “getting better.” Her complexion has improved dramatically over the last year. Her secret? “I used to be stressed out, consume a lot of sugar, and stay up late. My skin was giving me so many issues. Now that I’m following a healthier lifestyle, my skin has improved.”
Kim Kardashian West
8th place: Kim Kardashian West No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 488,760
Kim Kardashian West has been interested in the #nomakeup movement for a while. In July 2015, she appeared on the cover of Spanish Vogue without a drop of foundation, concealer, or mascara. Still, a lot of upkeep goes into Kim looking good with no makeup. She has regular Botox, fillers, diamond skin tightening treatments, facials, skin peels, and skin laser treatments. She’s been known to visit Dr. Kanodia in LA, which offers treatments that cost as much as £6,000. While her highest-ticket item, Guerlain’s Orchidée Impériale Rich Cream, will set you back about $455. Interest in Kim Kardashian West with no makeup peaked during the coronavirus lockdown between March and April 2021 in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Lady Gaga
9th place: Lady Gaga No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 476,400
Even though she started her own cosmetics line, Haus Labs, Lady Gaga continues to flaunt her all-natural complexion in no makeup selfies. Sarah Tanno, the singer’s longtime makeup artist, tells fans that Lady Gaga has “the most amazing skin in the industry”. Whether she’s glammed up or not, the “Shallow” singer always manages to look positively glowing. Lady Gaga’s diet plays a significant role in giving her skin a natural and healthy glow. According to insiders, she is a big fan of keeping herself hydrated and is often seen drinking coconut water.
Taylor Swift
10th place: Taylor Swift No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 341,520
Taylor Swift has always had a couple of makeup signatures: Red lipstick and winged eyeliner are her go-to’s. While most images we see of the singer are with a full face of makeup, there are a few rare photos of her wearing no makeup and showing off her fresh complexion. Taylor uses the Kate Summerville night cream before going to bed and every morning, swears by body shop coconut body butter, and always uses a sun-block to protect her skin from the damage of sun-rays.
Jennifer Aniston
11th place: Jennifer Aniston No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 277,800
Many believe that Jennifer Aniston has undergone extensive plastic surgery since the 1990s, including a nose job, chin implant, facelift, fillers, and other procedures. She admitted to having a nose job at People magazine in 2007. As far as the other rumors, she says everything else is natural. In August 2021, Jennifer posted a no-makeup selfie on Instagram. The star was promoting the launch of the new official Friends merchandise. Jennifer told Vogue she swears by pro makeup artist Jennifer Dempsey’s Gold Sculpting Bar, which helps tone, lift, and contour, and Vital Protein Collagen Powder, which supports healthy skin.
Beyoncé
12th place: Beyoncé No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 266,760
Beyoncé, it turns out, takes her skincare very seriously. The singer has a favorite skin care product to keep her skin silky smooth, and guess what? It’s a low-cost item that anyone can get at their local drugstore. The Grammy winner sleeps with Aquaphor slathered on her face to keep her skin healthy. Aqua-what, you may ask? Aquaphor is an emollient made out of petroleum jelly, mineral oil, glycerin, and lanolin that helps soften and smooth the skin while creating an occlusive protective barrier on the surface to lock in moisture.
Kendall Jenner
13th place: Kendall Jenner No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 258,600
Kendall Jenner rose to fame after appearing on the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Having started her epic modeling career at just 14, she is today an Estée Lauder brand spokesperson. So yes, Kendall knows makeup inside and out. While she is often snapped wearing a full face of color – and seldom without red lipstick on her lips – there are those times when she leaves the house bare-faced. Even without her favorite cosmetics, she still looks naturally beautiful. How does she keep her skin in such excellent health? She says her beauty routine is pretty straightforward and even a little lazy at times. Before Kendall started modeling, she was always really OCD about cleansing her face. But since she wears so much makeup all the time for her modeling gigs, it’s amplified. She admits she washes her face at least twice or three times a day.
Rihanna
14th place: Rihanna No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 244,680
Rihanna flaunted her glowing no-makeup complexion as she touted the new Fenty Skin collection last year. In a video for Harper’s Bazaar, she took viewers through her evening beauty routine using just three products – the brand’s Total Cleanser, the Fat Water toner-serum hybrid, and, lastly, Hydra Vizor, an SPF 30 moisturizer.
Zendaya
15th place: Zendaya No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 243,480
Her brows are always perfectly groomed; she’s not afraid to try bold eyeshadows and vivid lips and don’t even get us raving about her divine contouring. While Zendaya is a never-ending source of makeup ideas and certainly knows her way around a cosmetics shop, she isn’t afraid to go bare-faced occasionally.
Selena Gomez
16th place: Selena Gomez No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 237,600
Selena Gomez admits she prefers going no makeup unless it is necessary. She never wears lipstick or lip gloss in her daily life, although she does use a serum to keep her lips nourished. The image shows a makeup-free Selena Gomez, holding a note that reads: “I am in charge of how I feel, and today I am choosing happiness!”
Katy Perry
17th place: Katy Perry No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 210,840
Katy Perry is known for her voluminous “big, bold” lashes and experimenting with cotton candy-colored makeup. Her complexion is always sculpted to perfection and complete with a nude eye and bright pink lip. Along with her God-gifted voice, she also has natural beauty – even when sporting the zero-makeup look. Proactiv, cleaning oil, and the occasional pro treatment are all favorites of the American Idol judge. Katy used to have really bad skin in her early 20s and suffered from breakouts, which she attributed to stress and hormones. Someone recommended she try the Proactiv cleanser. She’s been using it for over a decade, and her skin is happier for it.
Gwen Stefani
18th place: Gwen Stefani No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 183,480
If you’re curious about Gwen Stefani’s appearance when she’s not wearing makeup, keep reading to find out! The “Hollaback Girl” and “Wind It Up” singer might be 51 years old, but she doesn’t look a day over 30, even without concealer! It’s no secret that diet impacts the health of your skin, and Gwen understands this. She’s been following a strict no-meat diet since the age of 12, and she swears that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables keeps her skin looking young. Gwen says she can find the fountain of youth in soy milk, spinach, celery, almonds, and bananas!
Gigi Hadid
19th place Gigi Hadid No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 150,000
Despite being one of the world’s highest-paid models, Gigi Hadid despises facials, makeup and maintains a low-maintenance skincare routine. She is known to turn to thin products for coverage for significant events, mixing Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow Face Primer and Maybelline’s Poreless Liquid Foundation together and applying the products with her hands. She’s also a massive fan of natural products like Oliveda’s olive leaf cleansers and oils to keep her skin glowing. No-makeup photos of Gigi reveal her true beauty. Her skin has absolutely no trace of visible pores, and she rarely breaks out, except during fashion week.
Alicia Keys
20th place: Alicia Keys No Makeup
Annual Google Searches: 118,800
In 2016, Alicia Keys went no makeup after nearly a decade of using cosmetics. “I don’t want to cover up anymore,” she wrote in Lenny Letter, an online feminist newsletter, as she declared her #nomakeup movement. Indeed, Alicia has been a living testament to those words, going “no makeup” for events, including the 2016 BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and the 2018 Grammy Awards. Alicia’s makeup artist Dotti reveals the star applies cucumber pulp and does “ice work” on her skin (rolling an ice stick on her face until the blood rushes to the surface) to achieve bare, fresh-faced naturalism.