Meg Stalter Jokes About Tanning as a Teen Despite Her Fair Skin: 'We Didn't Think About Sunscreen'

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Meg Stalter is ready to confess.

The actress and comedian fell into the tanning trend as a teenager, even though she knew it was bad for her skin. (Peer pressure, people!)

"It's so funny — everybody would be in the tanning bed, but since I burn, I'd go in the tanning bed for three minutes to fit in, but I wouldn't have a tan," Stalter tells PEOPLE with a laugh.

The Hacks star, who recently partnered with Neutrogena to launch its Hydro Boost+ line, promises that she limited her tanning bed time to three minutes a day and still wore sunscreen, but she has a feeling her friends weren't doing the same.

"We didn't think about sunscreen, but I've always had to think of sunscreen because I'm very fair and will burn really bad. Every time I go to Florida, I get sun poisoning, so I have to wear a lot of sunscreen."

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It was never a question of how damaging the sun could be to the teens in Ohio where Stalter grew up — she says they totally knew the sun was bad — but they didn't "put an emphasis on that."

"Looking tan was more important back then, whereas now we're all in a beach hat with tons of sunscreen, and if someone says they're going to a tanning bed, it's like, 'WHAT?'" she adds.

Stalter is quick to admit that her skincare routine in high school wasn't bad, per se, but she feels like she could have done more (beyond avoiding a tanning bed). She says while she wash her face, it was "probably with a bar of soap in the shower."

As she's grown up, though, she's learned to take much better care of her skin (like by diligently using sunscreen and all of Neutrogena's skin-loving products).

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"In the last five years, I've really taken care," Stalter, 33, says. "It's so fun now to take care of yourself — especially for me as an adult. There are all the fun [skincare] products out now and it's easier and more important to do self-care. It's also all over TikTok now, so teenagers can get into it sooner than I did."

The center of Stalter's skincare routine now is Neutrogena, which is why she felt like it was a "perfect match" for her to partner with the brand as a "skin-fluencer."

"I've loved their stuff for so long and I think that I was talking in interviews about the Hydro Boost Hydrating Hydrogel Face Mask before they ever reached out," Stalter gushes about the brand with a laugh. She's happy to insert them into any conversation — including her tip for putting them in the freezer for an even cooler sensation on your skin.

With the launch of Neutrogena's Hydro Boost+ collection, Stalter has even more skin-soothing products to add to her vanity. The new line includes the Niacinamide Serum, Caffeine Eye Gel Cream and Glycolic Acid Overnight Peel.

The eye cream and serum have been lifesavers for Stalter for the morning after a late night out, and they rejuvenate her skin if she breaks the cardinal rule of skincare: never sleeping with your makeup on.

"It's really bad, but once in a while, once in a while, I'll fall asleep in my makeup," Stalter tells PEOPLE. "In the morning, if I've done that, I'll wake up and wash my face and use the Hydro Boost+ serum, which really saves me from the night before because my skin is so dry. I've also been addicted to the Caffeine Eye Gel Cream, because it makes you look fully awake.

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The beauty of the Hydro Boost+ products is that they slot seamlessly into your skincare routine and can be used every day (though you'll have to work your way up to daily usage with the overnight peel).

Stalter uses the eye cream multiple times in a day to keep her face looking fresh, she says, and caps off her regimen with an ice roller to depuff. It's all a part of her self-care, which she tries to make time for as often as possible.

Whether she's filming Hacks alongside its star Jean Smart or hopping from red carpet to red carpet, Stalter is most certainly doing it with her favorite Neutrogena products not too far away. As a skin-fluencer for the brand, she takes the role "amazing" seriously, but it's not something she — or her family — expected.

"My sister texted me because my nephew saw the Neutrogena commercial on a YouTube show, and he started screaming," Stalter says. "It's so funny that he saw that out of nowhere. He wasn't expecting to see his aunt talking about skin care!"

Stalter adds, "It's really cute, and I'm very lucky."