Grime star Nate Ethan Watson on only skincare brand that worked for his transitioning skin

Words and pictures: Provided

Do you have that one cream in your skincare regime that you just couldn’t do without? Now, imagine that product you love and use on every day suddenly no longer worked for you…

Well that’s exactly what happened with 36-year old grime artist Nate Ethan Watson, who started transitioning back in July, 2018.

“Through transitioning my skin’s changed and I was getting a few problems, dry skin etc,” Nate says. “Everything that worked for me before transitioning stopped working.

“I tried products that maybe a female would go more towards, I tried products that were specifically for men and everything irritated my skin!”

The My Perfect Cosmetics (MPC) ethos is that skincare has no gender and in Nate’s case this couldn’t be more apt.

“I was doing selfies without filters!”

Nate effuses about his skincare journey with MPC, saying: “I spent two hours doing a facial! I started with the wash and used the sonic brush but it was when I used the facial it was crazy. I noticed the difference straight away.

“I didn’t feel any tingling, irritation or sensitivity. I was doing selfies without filters!”

No filters? That’s something we could all get behind! The joy of being able to have a salon treatment at home with products you can totally trust is unique and Nate’s journey is a ringing endorsement.

As well as his music, Nate is currently also focussing on his inclusivity initiative Trans and Non-Binary Connect which he started right at the beginning of the pandemic in true Covid-19 bad timing.

“We were going to launch two days before the restrictions came in so we had to adapt everything! We had funding from the National Lottery back in November so that helped us.”

Trans and Non-Binary Connect aims to support people to relieve gender dysphoria and a place to experiement with gender expression, with one thing in particular standing out that Nate, like with his changing skin, hadn’t thought about.

“We were donating or gifting trans and non-binary people free clothing. I noticed when I started transitioning that your body changes. I put on a bit of size quite quickly and I wasn’t really prepared for the whole clothing aspect of it to buy a whole new wardrobe which was another thing that really affected me.”

Whilst being passionate about helping other trans people through his initiative, it’s impossible to ignore some of the social issues that have arisen in recent years, with one particularly high-profile culprit who seemingly let a lot of her fans down with her views, JK Rowling.

“I don’t like to give those stories too much attention. If someone has a platform you have to be really careful what you say regardless of what your opinions are. You can influence a lot of people and it can affect a lot of people so it’s important not to actually do that.”

Nate continues: “She said some things that were really damaging to the community. I’m a bit older so I’m not a Harry Potter fan or anything but I see and talk to a lot of the younger ones where that’s kind of been their getaway so the person that’s responsible for their childhood memories is someone that doesn’t even support them is heartbreaking.”

As well his initiative, Nate has been writing and recording all over the past year with some exciting new music projects on the cards. Like so many artists many hit by the pandemic, he’s so excited to get back to touring again, when it’s allowed of course.

Nate has also just finished shooting a documentary which follows his incredible journey in music and life. One thing is for sure being an ambassador for My Perfect Cosmetics, whether he’s on film or on stage – that face is going to be glowing!

For more information about Trans Non-Binary Connect, visit the official website.