Audrey Hepburn 'Honored The History' Of Her Wrinkles & Wasn't Keen On Hiding Them

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Audrey Hepburn was one of the biggest stars from the Golden Age of Cinema. Throughout her life, the British actor enjoyed a well-rounded career; she achieved EGOT status, solidified her legacy as a style icon, and was a passionate humanitarian who became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1988. In the decades since her passing, Hepburn's friends and family members have kept the memory of the late star's character alive. In April 2026, Hepburn's oldest son Sean Hepburn Ferrer co-authored a biography about her life titled "Intimate Audrey." Among the details shared in the book is Hepburn's philosophy on aging. The actor is said to have held reverence for her natural beauty. 

"Any suggestion of plastic surgery was anathema to her, as she honored the history of every line on her face," one passage in the book reads (per People). According to Ferrer, when photographer John Isaac offered to smooth lines on Hepburn's face after a UNICEF shoot, the actor replied, "Don't you dare touch any one of those wrinkles; I earned every single one of them." While Audrey Hepburn's biggest skincare secrets are still so useful today, it is equally as beneficial to hear the star's refreshing perspective on beauty as a mature woman. Throughout the biography, Ferrer and co-author Wendy Holden discuss Hepburn's passion for internal health — with the writers clarifying that the actor's relationship with food was not as unhealthy as tabloids made it out to be. Ferrer noted in the book that his mother "eschewed all thoughts of fad diets," simply watching the portions on her favorite foods and exercising to maintain her slim figure. Hepburn's lifestyle hacks are among the old Hollywood glamour secrets we can still use today, and her philosophies on wellness and wrinkles are other facets of her routine that we should embrace.

Audrey Hepburn is one of the pop culture style icons you should let influence your wardrobe, so many would assume that her style and beauty routines were ultra high-maintenance. This couldn't be further from the truth. As a mature woman, Hepburn embraced the natural signs of aging with open arms while continuing to look chic and glamorous in the public eye. In 2016, Hepburn's son, Luca Dotti, published the book "Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen." Here, he revealed that his mother prioritized internal wellness through something as simple as hydration. "She was really about drinking a lot of water and eating a lot of vegetables," Dotti wrote (per Good Housekeeping). "It was a matter of how she was brought up."

As far as her skincare routine, Hepburn was known to use products that brought moisture into her complexion (sensing a theme?) like creams and oils. One of her more unorthodox secrets involved using Greek yogurt as a face mask. It worked two-fold: the lactic acid acted as a natural exfoliant while simultaneously providing moisture to her skin. But her beauty regimen wasn't limited to at-home hacks. Like her fellow stars Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Ava Gardner, Hepburn visited famed dermatologist Erno Laszlo for skincare treatments. Unlike modern skincare fanatics, Hepburn's beauty and wellness routines weren't aimed at anti-aging; instead, the actor prioritized her own health, happiness, and well-being.