Almost a decade ago, Cat Pierce was in a taxi in Los Angeles when she struck up a conversation with the driver, who asked how old she was.
‘I told him I was 40,’ she says, ‘and he pulled over on the side of the road and took a picture of me so he could send it to his wife. He just couldn’t believe it.’
Now 49, Cat still gets dramatic reactions when she reveals her age.
On her birthday last month, she posted a video holding a cupcake with candles that changed from 29 to 39 and finally 49 – sparking a fierce debate about her real age.
‘People usually think I’m in my early 30s,’ she says. ‘Some people were like, “She looks like she’s in her 20s”, and others said, “She looks 60”.’
Yet, despite her remarkably youthful appearance, Cat insists she has never had plastic surgery or laser treatments – and that her beauty regime is surprisingly simple.
The artist, singer and beauty business owner, who has more than 400,000 Instagram followers, credits her looks to a combination of healthy eating, walking, skincare and, perhaps most importantly, looking after her emotional wellbeing.
She does admit to having injections of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, although only sparingly.
Cat Pierce, 49, is no stranger to people thinking she looks decades younger than her actual age, as her Instagram post, above, proved
The artist, singer and beauty business owner credits her looks to a combination of healthy eating, walking, skincare and, perhaps most importantly, looking after her emotional wellbeing
For Cat, who had her first child at 45 with the help of donor eggs, growing older is something to celebrate rather than fear
‘I get a little bit of Botox between my eyebrows because I tend to make this worried, concerned face,’ she says.
‘I had this hard line there, and I was like, “I don’t like looking worried and concerned”. It was more about that than looking younger.’
She has experimented with injections around her eyes and upper forehead, but disliked the frozen feeling and the way they affected her smile.
‘I don’t want to Botox away all my expression,’ she says. ‘When you become so focused on erasing every little thing, you actually end up looking not like yourself.’
For Cat, who had her first child at 45 with the help of donor eggs and has since moved with her family from Los Angeles to her native Alabama, growing older is something to celebrate rather than fear.
‘I started putting this message out on Instagram directed at women over 40, because that’s the time of life where society tells you, “You should be wrapping things up”.
‘And I’m like, no. That’s when my life really started to blossom.’
So what are her secrets – and could they work for other women, too?
But Cat believes the most important part of her beauty regime has nothing to do with what she puts on her face.
Instead, she credits looking after her mental health – and, in particular, learning how to manage stress.
‘I think the key is emotional hygiene, therapy, learning how to redirect your thoughts if they get negative, learning to take a deep breath if you feel stressed,’ she says.
‘I used to spiral. If I had negative thoughts, I would follow that path and spiral into it. Now I’ve learned to spiral up out of it instead of into despair.’
Over the years, she has turned to therapy, self-help books, meditation and yoga to help her cope with life’s pressures.
One habit she tries to practise every day is Yoga Nidra, sometimes called ‘yogic sleep’ – a form of guided meditation that involves lying still and following instructions designed to bring the body into a state of deep relaxation.
‘It almost puts you into a sleep state, but it’s super restorative,’ she says. ‘You don’t fully go to sleep. It feels almost like a light nap mixed with meditation.’
Sessions can last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, and Cat believes making time for them has transformed her wellbeing.
There is some scientific evidence to support the benefits.
In a 2023 study published in the journal PLOS One, researchers found that people who practiced Yoga Nidra daily for four weeks experienced modest improvements in sleep quality, as well as better performance on tests of attention and memory.
The study, involving just 41 participants, also found increased delta-wave activity during deep sleep – brain waves associated with the body’s restorative sleep processes.
However, while reducing stress and improving sleep may benefit overall health, there is no convincing evidence that Yoga Nidra itself can prevent wrinkles or make someone look younger.
For Cat, though, the appeal is that it costs nothing and can be fitted around even the busiest day.
‘Giving that time for your body to rest and restore and making that a priority is very, very helpful for every aspect of yourself, spiritual and physical,’ she says.
When it comes to skincare, Cat believes simplicity is key.
Rather than following elaborate multi-step routines or constantly trying the latest anti-ageing products, she focuses on keeping her skin moisturised.
‘I think keeping your skin really moisturised is key,’ she says.
Her daily routine centres on a facial mist followed by an oil containing rosehip seed oil, an ingredient rich in fatty acids that help support the skin’s natural protective barrier and prevent moisture loss.
Cat has a commercial interest in the products she uses: she developed them herself for her skincare brand, OMEN.
Her range also contains ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, which helps the skin retain moisture, and vitamin C, which has some evidence behind its ability to stimulate collagen production and improve uneven pigmentation.
Cat also believes keeping her lips moisturised helps them retain their fullness.
‘As you get older, your lips can get thinner-looking,’ she adds.
Cat is equally relaxed about her diet. She doesn’t count calories, cut out food groups or follow a strict eating plan.
Instead, she focuses on eating plenty of vegetables and protein.
Cat and her husband Stevie have been married for nine years
‘The past few years, I’ve been eating tons of pumpkin seeds because I was reading how they are so good for your skin and your hair,’ she says.
Cat adds: ‘I eat tons of healthy fats, tons of olive oil, avocado, even butter. I think that’s really important to keep some volume in your skin and keep you feeling good. It’s good for your brain, it’s good for your skin, it’s good for your hair.’
She also makes a point of staying hydrated, keeping a gallon-sized water bottle nearby because she notices her skin feels drier when she doesn’t drink enough.
And unlike many beauty influencers, she doesn’t bother with expensive supplements.
‘I get most of my nutrients from food,’ she says. ‘I’ll read about a new supplement and try it, but I never stick to anything.’
Her overall philosophy is refreshingly uncomplicated.
‘I eat lots of vegetables, lots of healthy meats. I’m not super strict about anything. I just try to listen to my body and eat what feels good for me.’
Nor does Cat spend hours in the gym trying to maintain her youthful figure.
Instead, her main form of exercise is walking, preferably outdoors.
‘That’s the thing that feels the best for me,’ she says. ‘I feel like getting out in nature and walking nourishes you on a lot of different levels.’
But she admits there is one area where she could improve.
Her husband, a personal trainer, is constantly encouraging her to start lifting weights to protect her bones and muscles as she gets older.
‘I can kind of feel my body changing. The density of my muscles and legs feels different, so I’m ready to bulk up,’ she says.
Sleep is another priority, although with a young daughter and a business to run, Cat admits she doesn’t always get as much as she’d like.
‘I try to get eight hours of sleep, but it doesn’t always end up that way. I would say six to nine. I try to get more, but with having a toddler, it’s tough sometimes,’ she says.
Poor sleep has been linked to changes in skin barrier function and visible signs of ageing, although getting more sleep won’t necessarily make someone look decades younger.
And Cat is the first to admit that even her healthy habits sometimes fall by the wayside.
‘Currently, right now, I don’t feel my healthiest. We’re moving, and there is stress as well. You have periods of life. You can’t always be in peak condition,’ she says.
‘But being gentle with yourself and allowing yourself to have moments where you slip a little bit is actually healthy. You just have to stay balanced and not be too hard on yourself.’
So how much of Cat’s youthful appearance can really be attributed to her daily habits?
Experts agree that many of the things she recommends – eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and managing stress – are important for healthy ageing.
Strength training becomes increasingly important with age, particularly for women, who experience accelerated bone loss after the menopause.
Regular resistance exercise can help preserve muscle mass, maintain bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
However, while pumpkin seeds provide nutrients essential for healthy skin and hair, there is no proof that eating them prevents wrinkles. Nor is there evidence that consuming extra healthy fats preserves facial volume, or that applying lip balm prevents lips thinning with age.
And although studies suggest Yoga Nidra can improve sleep and reduce stress, none has shown that it makes people look younger.
Ultimately, genetics, sun exposure and other lifestyle factors all influence how quickly we visibly age – and no combination of healthy habits can guarantee a wrinkle-free complexion.
Cat insists she feels healthier approaching 50 than she ever did in her 20s.
‘In my 20s, I was abusing my body. I was drinking too much, I was staying out late, I was eating junk food. Just the normal 20-year-old stuff living in New York City,’ she says.
‘In my 30s, I started to enter into a more conscious phase and started taking care of myself.
‘I started to crave healthier foods and crave being in nature, learning more about myself and my emotions and doing therapy. All of that compounds into healthier everyday living.’
Becoming a mother at 45 has also given her a new sense of purpose, she says, encouraging her to make better use of her time and pursue her creative ambitions.
And while she enjoys looking younger than her years, Cat insists she has no desire to turn back the clock.
Instead of ‘ageing gracefully’, she prefers to think of it as ‘ageing gratefully’.
‘When I get stuck in those modes of wanting to feel younger or different, I try to go into a mode of gratitude,’ she says.
‘I’m so grateful for the wisdom that I have right now and the experience that I have right now. That is so valuable and so beautiful.
‘I think focusing on what the years have given you, rather than what the years have taken away, is really, really important.’
