A DIY scrub mixture of lemon juice and sugar seems exactly what the renown actress Katharine Hepburn would use for her go-to beauty move, as she so famously shared. But, according to some skin-care intel directly from her dermatologist, the strong-willed leading lady also relied on a fairly strict product protocol, which is interestingly similar to Marilyn Monroe‘s.
According to the Erno Laszlo team, Hepburn used the brand’s Shake-It Tinted Skin Treatment, along with the Phelityl Cleansing Oil and Phelityl Cleansing Bar. As history recalls, the famed dermatologist Dr. Erno Laszlo opened his first institute in Budapest in 1927, complete with a lab for creating personalized formulations and developing bespoke treatments. Dr. Laszlo then moved to New York and opened the first institute there in 1939 at 677 Fifth Avenue, with early clients including Hepburn and Greta Garbo.
Through the years, other Hollywood A-Listers also relied on Dr. Laszlo—Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis and Marilyn Monroe included—but Monroe’s feedback is famously solid: “Erno Laszlo not only heals my skin, but he soothes my soul,” the star said.
Like Hepburn, Monroe was also prescribed the Shake-It Treatment and the Phelityl Cleansing Oil, which Dr. Laszlo recommended applying on “entire, face, lips and neck with a large piece of cotton saturated to the dripping point.” The products are still available today.
The brand also shares that their meticulous archives details that Hepburn “was super sensitive to the sun.”
