The One Surprising Skin Essential Margot Robbie and Her Fellow Barbies Swore by During Filming

Working with Ivana Primorac, the movie’s lead make-up artist, Vico created a skin and wellness protocol for each of the Barbies to follow, while seeing them consistently for in-clinic treatments in tandem. Margot, the lead character and producer on the film, visited Vico the most. “Sometimes it was twice a week, sometimes every two weeks, it depended on her schedule,” Vico explains. “I looked after her like a baby! Not just her skin, but her energy. It’s a stressful job so we worked on calming her and making her feel great.”

So, what was that protocol exactly? Here Vico shares the details with Vogue.

Facials

Harnessing the wonders of a number of different modalities—both holistic and high-tech—Vico treated all of the Barbies’ skin to her famous Vico Glow. “We did lots of depuffing and lymphatic drainage—we used lots of ice balls,” says Vico. “It all depended on what day the actor was on screen. Generally, we combined different types of lasers (including cold laser) to reduce inflammation in the skin and strengthen the skin barrier, alongside peels, massage, and pressure points to open up the face.” When Margot, specifically, had some downtime, they’d sneak in some microneedling to help with luminosity and skin texture, too. This, combined with a comprehensive supplement, stress, and dietary protocol helped keep skin health on point and inflammation low.

Sensate

During each facial treatment, Vico placed a device called Sensate onto the Barbies’ chests. An innovative stress relief device, which is the size of the palm of your hand, it emits infrasonic frequencies and sound, which signal to the all-important vagus nerve, which connects the gut and the brain, to relax the body. “It tones the vagus nerve, which regulates the nervous system, boosts serotonin, and reduces stress,” explains Vico of the little-known device. “Reducing stress is key to keeping skin stable and healthy – it’s easy to do a facial ahead of a red carpet, but when you’re filming for five months straight, you have to work on all levels of the skin, body, and mind.”

The skincare

Regular treatments are all well and good, but results are also achieved with a complementary at-home routine—and Margot, says Vico, is as disciplined as they come. “Margot is like a soldier—she’s so disciplined, and she’ll do what you advise her to do,” she says. “We used a lot of our new serum, which will launch in September, alongside other top-end skincare. Think formulas that include growth factors, antioxidants, vitamin C, and exfoliating masks, too.”

When it came to blemishes, which all of the Barbies experienced at some point or another (unlike the doll itself, real women have hormones!), Vico shared her top trick with Primorac to use pre-make-up. “Always use salicylic acid and ice,” she says. “Ice reduces the heat and inflammation, then salicylic acid helps unclog the pores.” She also recommends crushing aspirin and combining with water to make a paste, then applying to the spot.

The tea

If you thought that aforementioned tea was a cup of the Yorkshire blend, you’d be sorely mistaken. Vico, a Croatian native, brought one of her country’s most popular teas to the Barbie cast, and it went down a storm. “Milk thistle cleanses your liver,” she explains. “When that happens, our liver automatically produces more glutathione, which then makes the skin more radiant. One of the most important ingredients within it is silymarin, which is now featured a lot in skincare formulas.”