Rio Viera-Newton: Skincare Obsessive, Propolis Evangelist, and Pimple-Patch Queen

If you've ever fallen down a late-night Google rabbit hole searching for a skincare routine that won't make your angry, acne-prone, eczema-riddled face scream for mercy, you've likely encountered Rio Viera-Newton. Since her viral Google Doc (yes, a spreadsheet) became a beacon of hope for sensitive-skin sufferers, she's evolved from The Strategist's beauty writer to a licensed esthetician, author of Let's Face It: Secrets of a Skincare Obsessive, and now, a product creator. In 2026, she's still the patron saint of reactive skin, and she's added "cleanser inventor" to her résumé with The Buzzworthy Propolis-Infused Cleanser, a collaboration with L.A.-based facial studio Face Haus. 🐝

Viera-Newton, 31, has always been a fan of Face Haus's open-plan, non-intimidating vibe, which attracts a more diverse crowd than your typical hushed spa. So when they asked her to create a product, she jumped at the chance. She had two non-negotiables: the texture had to be perfect, and the hero ingredient had to be propolis. Why propolis? "It's super hydrating in a very lightweight way, but deeply skin-quenching," she told Byrdie. "It's also very reparative, and it's antibacterial and anti-fungal." In other words, it's the Swiss Army knife of ingredients for her finicky skin—it moisturizes when she's dry, calms pimples when she's breaking out, and soothes post-pick wounds. Plus, it lets her shorten her routine. "You're packing a big punch," she says. 🥊

The Skin Diary of a Madwoman (Well, a Skincare Obsessive)

Viera-Newton describes her skin as "super temperamental." She's dealt with acne her entire life, but also eczema and psoriasis. "I feel like I've always been going back and forth between what I can use that's going to treat my acne that's also not going to make my eczema freak out, and vice versa," she explains. Her journey has taught her that acne isn't a one-and-done problem—it's a series of phases. "I'll go through a year of hell, and then a year where it's manageable, and then three months where I cannot get my breakouts under control, and then two months where I have clear skin." So if you're waiting for the day your skin magically behaves forever, don't hold your breath. 🌪️

A.M. Protection, P.M. Treatment: The Routine

These days, Viera-Newton treats her morning routine as a shield and her evening routine as a repair session. She's also become more cautious about what she slathers on her face. "At the start of my career, I was just so excited to try so many things," she admits. "Now I'm a little bit more reserved." One thing that keeps her honest? The Sofie Pavitt ingredient checker. "I will not put a product on my face if it doesn't pass the ingredient checker list," she says. It's like TSA for skincare—no suspicious characters allowed. 🛂

Here's a peek at her current lineup:

She's also a huge fan of toner pads in general. "So much of my acne was because I wasn't properly taking my makeup off," she says. "Toner pads give that one final swipe that just gets anything left off." And centella? "Something my acne responds so well to." 🌿

The Holy Grail and the Big No-No

Her tried-and-true acne savior is Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Exfoliant. "It's a cult classic for a reason," she says. She uses it more preventatively now—whenever she feels congestion, two days of BHA clears it up. But the single biggest change she ever made for her acne wasn't a product. It was stopping herself from picking. "That was the biggest life change I could have possibly made," she confesses. "I realized so much of my acne was because I could not leave my skin alone." She used to extract every tiny bump, thinking it would help. "It's taken me years to realize that that's actually not true." She even addressed it in therapy, recognizing it as a form of self-harm. Now, she only showers at night, and she enters the bathroom by candlelight or a night light. "I will not turn the main lights on, because that's my number one trigger." It's a spa-like batcave, minus the bats. 🦇

Her secret weapon against the urge to pick? Pimple patches. "Anytime I have the urge to pick, my first course of action is to apply a pimple patch," she says. "Sometimes I feel like I'm a shark going into a feeding frenzy, and I stop and put a pimple patch on." 🦈

Lasers, Peels, and PRF: The Treatment Tour

Viera-Newton has been exploring professional treatments more seriously, and she shares her findings on her Substack, "Fun Little Treat." She's tried microneedling (once a week when she first moved to L.A.—yikes), laser, and PRF. "I love laser treatments," she says. "Laser works better for me." Her favorites include Clear + Brilliant ("It's done wonders for hyperpigmentation") and Laser Genesis ("a really amazing entry laser, gentle and immediate results"). She's curious about Fraxel but hasn't committed. "When do I feel like I can allocate a week to recover?" she wonders. She's also a fan of BioRePeel, a chemical peel that's great for active acne and hyperpigmentation. "It's more of a flaking, like starting Tretinoin," she says. "But not shedding like a serpent." 🐍

Her advice on treatments? Be realistic about your budget. "What in your budget can you afford to do?" she asks. It's not about chasing every buzzy procedure—it's about finding what works for your skin and your wallet.

The Desert Island Products

If you raided her medicine cabinet, you'd always find two things: snail mucin and pimple patches. "Those are two things you will not find a medicine cabinet of mine without," she declares. She once had to rush to a last-minute job in L.A. with only phone, keys, wallet, and a bottle of snail mucin. Priorities, people. 📱🔑👛🐌

So what's the takeaway from Rio Viera-Newton's skincare wisdom? Listen to your skin, don't pick, use propolis if you're fancy, and always have a pimple patch handy. Oh, and wear sunscreen. Lots of it. "I go through sunscreen like crazy," she says. "It's that serious." After one sunburned hike when she first moved to L.A., she learned her lesson. Now she's basically a walking ad for SPF. 🧴☀️

In a world of 12-step routines and miracle cures, Viera-Newton reminds us that sometimes the best thing you can do for your skin is to leave it alone—and maybe put a bee byproduct on it. 🐝✨

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