Tracee Ellis Ross is the queen of self-care. Her recent Roku docuseries, Solo Traveling, shows her full commitment to it, including an extensive in-flight body care routine complete with thigh-high compression socks, a lymphatic drainage massage, face masks, and a portable atomizer. “I want to be the poster child for being and inhabiting your own skin,” Ross says on the show. Her new Pattern body care line aims to help others do just that.
When she launched the curl-conscious Pattern products in 2019, body care was always on the horizon. “It’s the reason I named the company Pattern Beauty and not Pattern Hair,” Ross tells ELLE. “[These products are] for every body, shape, size, color, and texture.”
The new line, out on August 21, features a body wash, exfoliating dry body scrub, lotion, body cream, and a body oil. “I want you to be able to use these products and remember who you are,” she says. Ahead, Ross on whether she uses perfume on planes, her full pool-day skin care routine, and her thoughts on the closing of Ami Colé.
The scent for this line is very light and airy with some floral notes. Why did you choose this specific scent profile?
I have a real thing about essential oils. I love fragrance that feels anchored in truth and doesn’t feel commercial or top note-y, and will remain the same fragrance over time. It bugs me when you spray a perfume, and 10 hours later, it smells like something different. An essential oil is alive, but it’s not going to transform into something else.
I was looking for a scent that was genderless, inviting, and delicious, but not to the point of a gourmand. I didn’t want it to feel like you want to eat your arm. I want it to feel elevated, sexy, inviting, and universal so that everyone who smelled it would be like, I like that.
How do you feel about perfume on the plane?
I don’t wear perfume. I think people who over-perfume and over-cologne are problematic. I understand that we all love our own fragrance, but when you wear it, you stop being able to smell it. I will admit that I have been the culprit at times, but what you don’t want is to hug someone and then for the rest of the day smell like them. It’s awful.
What body care product do you make sure to put in your carry-on?
Lotion and my shower gel. I usually have those two body products, an exfoliating mitt, a gua sha, and a dry brush. I’m sorry, but hotel shower gel is not the same. It strips your skin of everything.
I love dry brushing because of lymphatic drainage. At this age and with the amount that I travel, my body holds on to water, and dry brushing really helps me to release. Also, I don’t drink coffee, so waking up my lymphatic and nervous system with [brushing] really helps. Sometimes, I’ll dry brush in the bed before I get up in the morning or [even] on the airplane.
Do you have any crazy flight stories?
Someone sitting next to me took their shoes off, which I thought was ridiculous. I’m talking barefoot. No socks. I was just like, I don’t need to see your toes, sir.
If there was one pair of shoes that you could bring with you on vacation, what would they be?
A white Asics sneaker. I can dress it up. I can dress it down. It’s comfortable. It’s between that or a black leather Birkenstock. You can wear a white Asics sneaker with a beautiful pair of trousers, or you can wear them with a suit.
You’re known for loving pools. Do you have a pool-day skin care routine?
Oh gosh, yes! You’ve got to prep to be outside; you can’t just go outside. Hair takes a backseat, because we’re going to get into the water, and it’s going to get wet. But the skin needs to be skinning for the pool. I do the full Pattern body care routine, but I don’t use the cream. I save the cream for nighttime after the sun. I usually dry scrub in the shower so that any of the mess is not all over my bathroom. Then I use the body scrub, and I scrub from my toes to my neck. I scrub everywhere!
Then I put on the shower gel, get the razor, and we shave. I shave the legs, and then we shower gel one more time. Then I use the body oil while I’m still in the shower. When I get out, I either let myself air dry or I pat myself dry. Then I use lotion and finish with sunblock.
Why oil before lotion? Why not the other way around?
Because my pores are open after the shower and can really receive the moisture. And even though this is not a very greasy oil, I’m very conscious of not getting oil on my clothes or bathing suit.
What is your philosophy for showing skin?
Scrub, hydrate, and love it. I want that skin to pop, glow, and look like an expression and reflection of your soul!
What is your wind-down body care routine?
I really love a bath! Sometimes, I make crystal soup, which is when I put my crystals in the bath with me.
As a beauty business owner, what do you think about brands like Ami Colé closing down?
I have a lot of thoughts. It’s very upsetting when a great brand is forced to shut down. Black founders in the beauty industry face particular challenges that go beyond just financial support. Access to capital is really a crucial part of growth, but there’s also a lot of valuable insight that Black founders contribute to the industry that isn’t accounted for.
How we measure success needs to be adjusted. For example, a Black-founded business might contribute lower numbers in sales, but it doesn’t represent the entire revenue stream. Retail partners benefit from the brand bringing in completely new customers, broadening the appeal of a retailer, and making it more accessible to a larger customer base. These are things that benefit the business and the beauty industry as a whole, even though it might not compare in the number value. It’s really important for consumers to understand that a Black-founded business doesn’t mean that the product that they make is just for Black customers. The full ecosystem benefits by having a diversity of founders of all kinds.
I would like to see an understanding where investors and partners recognize that supporting Black founders is more than just offering funds. It involves fostering an environment of collaboration, respect, and open dialogue that is essential for navigating the complexities of the business. If you start with a diverse line of makeup, what does it look like to grow? How do you do that? That is the job of the people around that founder. Navigating the pitfalls of an industry, let alone one that has systemic barriers, is not easy.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Pattern Beauty’s new body care line will be available to shop at patternbeauty.com on August 21, Ulta on August 29, and Sephora on September 5.
