Gabrielle Union Admits She Used ‘Bar Soap’ on Her Face ‘Deep Into’ Her 30s. Now She Swears by This Treatment (Exclusive)

• Gabrielle Union and her esthetician Candice Miele are partnering with PCA Skin
• The two women aim to break the stigma surrounding using professional chemical peels
• Union also shares the skincare tips she’s trying to instill in daughters Zaya Wade, 17, and Kaavia Union Wade, 6

When people talk about actresses who appear to look the same for decades, Gabrielle Union always tops the list.

However, flawless as her skin is today, the Riff Raff actress tells PEOPLE she didn’t give her skin much TLC until she was “deep” into her career.

“I wish I was one of those people who knew what I needed to be doing all along, but I was probably using bar soap on my face deep into my thirties,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “So [taking care of my skin] is a relatively new thing. Maybe [something I began] in the last 15-plus years, really.”

While Union never suffered from persistent acne, she explains, “Every so often [I’d] get a zit and when I would it wouldn’t be anything crazy the hyperpigmentation issue was massive.”

In her early 30s, one particular issue that made her stop in her tracks and actively pursue ways to take care of her skin.

“I woke up one day with a beard of cystic acne,” she reveals. “All of a sudden I was like, ‘What the heck? What’s going on?'”

The shift led her to a dermatologist, who let her know her skin was reacting to hormonal changes in her body. “It’s like I went through puberty just at 32,” she says.

The journey to treat her cystic acne led Union down the path where she eventually met now-close friend and esthetician Candice Miele. The two connected in 2020 and have been working together on keeping Union’s skin supple, hydrated and glowing ever since.

Now, the friends are amplifying the products that help the star’s skin glow through a partnership with PCA Skin. At the forefront are the professional PCA Skin chemical peels she gets, which have helped even out her complexion over the years.

Union knows the fears around using chemical peels because she had them herself. As such, the partnership is not only about promoting quality products, but it’s also about breaking down the stigma surrounding them — and demonstrating that anyone can give their skin that high-quality professional treatment.

“The PCA peels are easy [on my skin]. And I can say that because I’ve tried others that are very harsh and they can jack you up,” she states. “I resisted [at first], but I was having so many hyperpigmentation issues, unevenness, and Candice was like, ‘Just let me try.’ She assured me. I did and it really moved the needle for me and did not mess up my skin.”

After using PCA Skin’s treatment, “I peeled minimally,” she says. “It’s [effective] enough that I can really see results without facing a lot of some of the unfortunate side effects of other brand’s peels that I’ve experienced, like the burning where you need a peel-from-your-peel kind of thing,” she joked.

Of course, the gentle factor was key for Union, the actress doesn’t always have the 2 to 14 days it can take to recover so when it comes to frequency, she tells PEOPLE, “We probably do a heavy-duty peel … every couple months if I’m working and I’m baking makeup into my face daily. But otherwise it’s probably quarterly.”

In the interim, she keeps up results by incorporating other items from the brand such as the Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum and the Pro-Max Skin Age Renewal Serum which she says are her “hero products.”

Those who follow Union know she is not the only famous face in her household. The actress has been married to husband Dwyane Wade since 2014 and they also have some up-and-coming stars in daughters Zaya Wade, 17, and Kaavia Union Wade, 6.

When it comes to trying to instill some of her learned skincare secrets so they don’t wait till their 30s as she did, the Flawless by Gabrielle Union creator says it’s an ongoing battle.

“Well, like with Kav this morning … she had a very lazy morning and I’m like, ‘Babe, you got to wash your face.’ And she was like, ‘I did.’ And I’m like, ‘There is a pink ring around your mouth. Child, please just go wash your face. Just go wash your face,'” she jokes. “It was a battle. So clearly one of our kids is not falling in line.”

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For Zaya, who has dabbled a bit in modeling, Union revealed she gives her advice from a professional standpoint. “Her skin is similar to her dad’s, in that they have acne-prone skin. So [it’s about telling her], you need a routine,” she says.

“If you just want to be a teenage kid with challenging skin, okay. But if you really want your skin to be as healthy and as clear and bright as possible, these are the types of products that you need to use consistently. When you brush your teeth and floss, it’s right there. You have to line up your products and you use them daily.”

All that is with the understanding that it’s ultimately a learning curve for everyone. “They’re kids so I have to hope that our 23-year-olds are sticking to some sort of regimen, but once they’re out of the house, I’m like, ‘good luck. We taught you.’ Whether you take those lessons remains to be seen.”