'Riverdale' star Lili Reinhart proudly shows off cystic acne in her new 'Tinder profile'
Lili Reinhart has blossomed in recent years to become one of today's it-girls. The 21-year-old actress won over the world with her girl-next-door persona in Netflix's teen drama, Riverdale. Since achieving stardom, Lili has been very open with fans, revealing on Twitter that: "Riverdale came into my life when I was going through the worst depression I had ever experienced. And in the end it completely saved me."
The starlet has also spoken out on a number of occasions about a personal insecurity that she's grappled with since her early teens. Lili has cystic acne, and while she admits that it's held her back when she gets a particularly bad breakout, she's come to accept that her skin doesn't define her. Instead, she chooses to talk openly about it on social media, perhaps in the hopes that her teenage fans, also struggling with the painful blemishes, might feel better about it.
A few days ago, the 21-year-old posted a makeup-free photo of herself on her Instagram stories. Smiling into the camera, her face was dotted with pimple treatment cream and she quipped that it was her new "Tinder profile".
Lili posted it with the caption, "Tinder profile: Hi I'm Lili. I'm 21, a Virgo, Cali-Girl. And I have cystic acne. Hmu."
Credit: Instagram / @lilireinhart
The post is quite clearly a light-hearted joke, as it was all but confirmed last week that Lili is dating co-star, Cole Sprouse. The pair have notoriously never confirmed their relationship – but haven't denied it either.
On numerous occasions they've shared cutesy pictures on social media, have been caught secretly caressing each other during interviews, and they were also photographed smooching in Paris last week. When returning to LAX together, a nosy TMZ reporter followed them out of the airport and hounded the pair about whether it was a big decision for them to publicly declare their relationship status. "It's obvious," Lili replied candidly.
Lili is one of the celebrities at the forefront of the skin-positivity movement - having been increasingly open about her cystic acne. She revealed that she's struggled with acne since the seventh grade, and that it lead to her developing body dysmorphic disorder.
"Every time I have a big cystic pimple or something, it very much triggers that part of me where I don't want to look at myself in the mirror," she told Teen Vogue. "As I've gotten older, it's a matter of realising that I can't let a pimple on my face decide what I do and where I go."
She isn't afraid to show her blemishes on social media in posts like the one last week, and has even been helpful enough to let fans know her exact skincare routine. In past Instagram stories, she revealed her go-to product that is "amazing for cystic acne" is called Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay – a best-seller on Amazon that only costs $10.
Credit: Instagram / @lilireinhart
Credit: Instagram / @lilireinhart
To target individual pimples when she's breaking out, the star says she dabs Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion over her zits to keep them at bay. The rest of her skincare involved the usual peels, masks, moisturisers and oils.
While the post was entertaining (as well as reassuring that no-one is perfect), I'm sure there are many fans who were left disappointed that Lili isn't active on the online dating platform. Ah well.