Kathryn Bernardo Knows that Being in Your Prime Isn’t About Numbers

As Ultherapy Prime’s newest ambassador, the actress is learning that confidence isn’t about having everything figured out, it’s about knowing yourself, taking care of yourself, and making room to live.

There was a soft rustling that followed Kathryn Bernardo around the room. It wasn’t the usual hum or fanfare that surrounds the actress during events, but it was a custom Rob Ortega creation, a sculptural piece embellished with pearls and capiz shells, that reminded everyone that she was in the area. It was the kind of outfit that demanded attention, but Kathryn herself seemed remarkably at ease in it.

Off-camera and away from the main stage at the Tala Awards 2026, the 30-year-old actress was candid and playful with host Jill Ngo. She spoke openly about the things that still make her feel uncertain, the people who keep her grounded, and the ways her understanding of beauty has changed. It was fitting, then, that she was there to talk about being in your prime.

Earlier in the evening, Merz Aesthetics and Vanguard Aesthetics introduced Bernardo as the newest ambassador of Ultherapy Prime. Under the Tala Awards’ theme, “Confidence Without Limits,” the event explored confidence from both a medical and personal perspective, with a case study showcase by facial aesthetic surgeon Dr. Nabil Fakih, MSc, FFPS, IBCS, alongside conversations about beauty, self-care, and informed choices.

During her on-stage interview, Bernardo touched on all three, speaking about how her perspective on beauty has changed, why she sees self-care as an investment, and how confidence is built over time.

“I hate the feeling of being limited,” says Bernardo, when asked about the night’s theme and what it meant to her. As an actress, she says she knows what it feels like to have other people decide what she can or cannot do. But being limitless, she explains, doesn’t mean never being afraid. It means acknowledging the fear without letting it decide for you. “It’s something you build every day,” she says.

Entering her 30s, Bernardo is also discovering that being in your “prime” isn’t necessarily about being at the youngest, most beautiful, or most successful point of your life. It can look different at every age. “In my 20s, I’m [in] my prime because I feel like I have the energy to do whatever,” she says. And then in my 30s, I feel like I’m in my prime because I know what I want now. I’m more aware. I know how to say no when to say yes. 
And if we are in our 40s, maybe iba naman siya.”

Her sense of agency extends to how she takes care of herself. Bernardo says she once worked out because she wanted to see results. Now, she does it because she likes how it makes her feel and because she wants to be stronger 10 years from now. Her approach to skin care follows much the same thinking: care for yourself because you want to feel good in the long run, not because you want to become someone else.

The same philosophy is part of what made Ultherapy Prime an easy yes for her. Having experienced Ultherapy since her 20s, the actress says she appreciates that it is about enhancing her natural features rather than changing the way she looks.

“It’s not about changing who you are,” she says. “And more than the physical effect na nakukuha mo, it’s the feeling you get after doing Ultherapy that gives you more confidence.”

Away from film sets and the pace of shoots and event appearances, she says she finds confidence in even simpler things. Bernardo shares that she feels most like herself when she’s alone or with her family and friends, people who, in her words, “humanize” her. While everyone else sees her in front of the camera, she enjoys being off it, listening to the stories of the people around her. They remind her that the world is much bigger than her own.

The sense of confidence resonated throughout the Tala Awards, where Merz Aesthetics also recognized the doctors and partner clinics who are shaping the aesthetic medicine industry. Bernardo now joins regional ambassadors such as Jun Ji Hyun and Lee Min Ho.

For more information, visit Vanguard Aesthetics’ official website.