Jonathan Daviss Finds Beauty in the Small Things

Skincare, scent memories, and staying grounded.

Byrdie Boy

Byrdie Boy is our series here to break outdated perceptions of men and beauty. We'll be highlighting the routines, product picks, and musings of cool guys with a unique POV, so our male and man-aligned readers can learn about skincare, makeup, and hair from a trusted, inclusive source. Jonathan Daviss of Outer Banks, tells us all about his favorite hair product and the scents that remind him of childhood.

When it comes to his daily grooming routine, Outer Banks star Jonathan Daviss keeps it simple, counting soap and water as two of his can’t-live-without-it essentials. He appreciates the little things, the small moments of beauty and wonder that can set the tone for your day, and his easygoing approach is as refreshing as his favorite fragrance.

The actor is one of the faces of Armani’s Gen A collective, a group of young actors including Maude Apatow, Riverdale stars Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart, The White Lotus actor Lucas Gage and Daviss’s OB costar Chase Stokes, as well as Madame Web star Isabela Merced and All American actor Michael Evans Behling. Daviss is also the face of Armani’s iconic, beloved aquatic citrus Acqua di Gio cologne; he, Stokes, Gage and Behling appear together in the new campaign for the scent, which they shot in the Bahamas.

Daviss has long been a fan of the fragrance; like many young people, it was one of his first “grown up” scents. Below, the actor talks about being part of the Armani family, the fragrance memories he treasures and the beauty lessons he learned from his mom.

Tell us about your partnership with Armani. What's your history with the brand, and what excites you about the partnership?

"When I was a kid, [Acqua di Gio] was one of the first high-end fragrances I ever had. You transition from the part of your life where soap takes care of everything to when you [want] a more sophisticated scent. This was one of the first [scents] I was introduced to by my father.

"The brand had reached out and they were looking for ambassadors. Chase had already done it, and he's a good friend of mine. Since joining up with Armani, it has been a family. They call it a family and it is a family and we treat each other like family. So it's been nothing but like kind souls and the best people you'll ever meet."

You appeared in the Acqua di Gio ad with your costar Chase. Do you have any fun stories from the shoot? 

"We did not expect it to be raining profusely when we went to Eleuthera, but it was, so we ran with it. That gave the shoot a special vibe to it. We got to use the rain as character in some ways. Acqua di Gio, the rain and the water… it's all an aesthetic anyway. When we got to look at those shots, and we got to look at the video, it just made sense. We had a great time."

Acqua di Gio is a total classic, but what do you like about the fragrance? What notes do you find yourself particularly attracted to?

"I like the citrusy, marine note. I like the freshness of it."

You mentioned Acqua di Gio was your first fragrance, do you have any other fragrance memories?

"There were magnolia trees outside of my grandmother's house when I was a kid and I would go and stay there for a while. I remember the scent of the leaves from the trees being a big part of my childhood. If I smelled them again, they would take me back completely."

What's your daily grooming routine like?

"If I actually plan on going out and seeing people [and] not looking like shit, I start with a shower. I usually do my hair first; I have a bunch of products I like, I use Aunt Jackie's [products]. I put a cleanser on my face. I have aloe spray that I put on, some facial lotion. And then fragrance."

Is there a certain product that you can't live without? 

"I’d say soap because if you don't put on soap, that's just … what are you doing?"

What's your beauty philosophy?

"I think it starts internally. When you're thinking of beauty, just kind of start with the things that you love about the world, the small things: I like the way I fold my clothes or I like the way I write my name. There's a small beauty about that. Once you can start to take note of small things about yourself, it all just comes together."

Have you learned any important lessons about skincare or haircare that you look forward to every day? 

"Absolutely. Drinking water is a big thing. I think you don't realize how much that plays into your skincare routine. Making sure you stay hydrated and washing your sheets. If you sleep eight hours a night… you don't realize when you sleep, you sweat, your skin's going the entire time. Making sure you moisturize and hydrate your skin."

When did you start getting into skincare? 

"I had a mom who was always very adamant about taking care of your skin and your body. She's very much like, 'Your body's a temple.' Especially when I started to move more into acting and I realized that was my passion; you are presenting yourself to people so I think it's important to keep all parts of yourself healthy, whether it's going to the gym or wearing your skincare."

Are there any things that you do to keep yourself grounded or to take care of your mental health? 

"That's my family. My mom and my dad keep me pretty grounded. I have three sisters—and they'll make sure I’m grounded. I have friends who I still talk to from high school. Just remembering everything that I was when I was a kid, knowing I'm still that person. That’s a big help."

And last question, why do you think people are so drawn to fragrance, like, what makes it special? 

"It’s like music in the way that it sets off emotions in your body. You smell somebody and you judge them so quickly. Your nose is attached to those emotions. Your sense of smell is directly attached to feeling, and I think that goes back to pure caveman times and instincts. So I think to this day, we just kind of like the smell we get from somebody is the feeling that we get from them when we meet them."

Up Next: Chase Stokes Never Hits the Outer Banks Without This Product

Read the original article on Byrdie.