What's her secret? As Penelope Cruz turns 50, a look at how the smoldering star is aging in reverse (hint: she uses Bioidentical hormones)

Penelope Cruz is turning 50-years-old on April 28 and she seems to be looking forward to it.

'Turning 50, it's a huge, beautiful thing, and I really want to celebrate that with all my friends,' she told Elle earlier this year. 

The star from Spain does not seem to age as she looks incredible youthful while approaching the big milestone.

With her wrinkle-free face, thick black hair and tiny but toned frame, the siren has managed to keep herself very well preserved, making her look like she is in her late 30s and not almost 50.

She has reason to stay young-looking: the Oscar winning actress not only acts on the big screen, but she also models for Chanel and Lancome.

The wife of Javier Bardem, with whom she has two children, has addressed staying young looking saying she eats whole foods, uses wrinkle creams, takes Bioidentical hormones, works out about four times a week, sleeps 8 hours a night and meditates.

Penelope Cruz is turning 50-years-old on April 28 and she seems to be looking forward to it. 'Turning 50, it's a huge, beautiful thing, and I really want to celebrate that with all my friends,' she told Elle earlier this year. The star from Spain does not seem to age as she looks incredible youthful while approaching the big milestone; seen this year

Seen left in 2007 modeling a black lace dress, and right in 2001 at the premiere of Vanilla Sky in Sydney

The Vanilla Sky star also told Elle that she is often asked about ageing. 'People have been asking me about age since I was twenty-something,' she shared. 'I was more bothered then than now.'

Still, she must be aware of trying to stay young looking to maintain her spot on top of the A-list.

Turns out, she goes to great lengths to keep that glow as she sleeps plenty, eats well and moves her body often. 

SKIN 

In 2021, Cruz told Elle Canada she is mindful of the health of her skin.

'I hydrate my skin with Lancôme Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Ultra,' she said. 'And I use Lancôme Hydra Zen Anti-Stress Moisturizing Cream-in-Gel. It’s perfect for when your skin needs extra hydration. I use it every day.

'I do dry body brushing every once in a while; it helps to eliminate toxins,' she also told the publication.

'Also, my makeup artist, Pablo Iglesias, used a jade roller on me on the set of our last movie, and guess what? It really works.'

And Penelope uses Bioidentical hormones.

'I’m constantly reading about nutrition and medicine, especially when it comes to hormones. 

'I have learned so much in the past few years from doctors like Habib Sadeghi, Nigma Talib, Valentín Fuster and Dominique Fradin-Read, and I’m so grateful for the incredible knowledge they share.'

With her wrinkle-free face, thick and long black hair and tiny but toned frame, the siren has managed to keep herself very well preserved, making her look like she is in her late 30s and not almost 50. The wife of Javier Bardem, with whom she has two children, has addressed staying young looking saying she eats whole foods, uses wrinkles creams, takes Bioidentical hormones, works out four times a week and meditates. Seen in 2022

She often models Chanel, seen left in March and right in 2022

Cruz in Chanel as she attends the L'Immensita premiere in 2022 in Paris

Brad Pitt has electric fireworks with Cruz in a sizzling March 2024 commercial for French fashion house Chanel

The two A-list stars are seen looking their very best at an upscale Parisian restaurant as they stare at each other with longing in their eyes while being interrupted by a young waitress

HAIR

The photogenic wonder takes great care of her hair because her mother used to own a hair salon. 

'I know a few tricks for keeping it healthy. I know how to cut, colour and blow-dry people’s hair,' she offered. 

'I did Salma Hayek’s hair and makeup right before a premiere once; the house lost power so I had to do it by candlelight! It was a challenge.'

When it comes to styling her own raven locks, she often does it herself.

'I keep it natural,' shared the Volver star. 'If I’m having a bad-hair day, I make it even messier by adding some dry shampoo for volume.' 

 EXERCISE

The looker has also talked her routine. She wakes up around 7:30am every morning because she needs 'seven or eight hours of sleep a night.'

She added to Elle Canada: 'If I’m not working, I try to exercise in the morning. I studied classical ballet for 17 years, and it had so many benefits for me. Now I just do resistance work and a little cardio for an hour about three or four times a week.

'I also practice Transcendental Meditation; I did it for years in my 20s, and it really helped me. An occasional long massage is also great.'

Cruz is also known to hit the gym when in Los Angeles and has taken to Pilates. 

Often she does Bikram yoga which is a system of hot yoga, a type of yoga as exercise, spread by Bikram Choudhury and based on the teachings of B. C. Ghosh. 

She  has posed for hundreds of magazine covers, like V this year, left, and W on the right

DIET

The red carpet favorite eats sensibly.

And she also does not skip breakfast. 'I have breakfast with my family.... Eggs, fruit, homemade cereals or spelt toast and sometimes celery juice,' said the pinup.  

'I also take some natural supplements and have an organic protein shake. I love organic arabica coffee with almond milk, but I have no more than two a day.'

As far as her fridge, it is stocked with healthy options: 'We have lots of organic fruit and vegetables and free-range meat and fish. In our cupboards, we have quinoa, pasta, brown rice, coconut sugar, stevia and chocolate. 

'I love eating healthily. I don’t follow a particular diet, but I love organic, healthy food; my kids also eat this way.'

Cruz also uses her Vitamix 5200 to make home-made gazpacho.

'In Spain we eat gazpacho almost every day, so you get a lot of vegetables in a way that is very delicious,' she told InStyle. 

CAREER 

'The most difficult thing in the world is to start a career known only for your looks, and then to try to become a serious actress. No one will take you seriously once you are known as the pretty woman,' she has said.

But she has managed to be recognized as a very capable actress. 

Cruz made her acting debut on television at 16 then was in the film Jamón Jamón (1992) with Bardem.

She then went on to land sizable roles in Belle Époque (1992), Open Your Eyes (1997), Don Juan (1998), The Hi-Lo Country (1999), The Girl of Your Dreams (2000), and Woman on Top (2000). 

Her best work has been with Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar in Live Flesh (1997), All About My Mother (1999), Volver (2006), Broken Embraces (2009), I'm So Excited! (2013), Pain and Glory (2019), and Parallel Mothers (2021).

She had a hit film Bandidas with her best friend Salma Hayek in 2006

And the thespian won an Oscar for starring as a crazed artist in Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008 

She fell in love with Javier Bardem on VCB many years after the starred in her first film together, Jamon, Jamon

In 2009 the dynamo wore lingerie to sing and dance in the ensemble movie Nine

She won her Oscar working for Woody Allen in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). When she filmed Vanilla Sky (2001) with Tom Cruise, they started dating. She also worked with Johnny Depp on Blow (2001) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

More recently she has been in Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Everybody Knows (2018), Official Competition (2022), L'immensità (2022) and Ferrari (2023).

She received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role as Donatella Versace in the miniseries The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018).

She wed Spanish actor Bardem in 2010 after they starred in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. 

And Cruz has modeled a ton. She worked for Mango, Ralph Lauren, L'Oréal, Chanel and Lancome.