Skincare Makeup

[kizaaa]

Hi! 

I was just curious on everyone’s opinions about skincare makeup. Do you think it’s just marketing for acne prone skin? Or that at times, it may be beneficial? 

The reason I’m asking is because I have acne prone skin and was wondering if there are brands that are more gentle or acne safe. 

Thank you ❤️

[CattyT3]

I closely follow content from a dermatologist, Dr Vanita Rattan, who formulates her own products and asks followers what we want her to create for us. She is in the process of making, in her words, the first foundation that will be designed to also treat acne prone skin as well. So based on that, I would say that makeup that treats specific medical skin conditions are not available yet, but products that are definitely more suitable to be friendlier to skin and certain skin types are what companies are now trying to play around with the marketing for since many skin and makeup trends lean to the minimal and skincare like items.
Something not aggravating skin conditions doesn't mean it can classify as a skincare treatment 2-in-1 - like how non comedogenic foundations are designed to not make your existing acne worse, but there's nothing in it to be able to work on improving the source of your acne topically either. It's the bare minimum for a product to not cause a reaction when you wear it, so I wouldn't call this an amazing or rare thing - there are many makeup items that suit people with a wide array of skin conditions.
Also it depends very much on the individual if "comedogenic" ingredients actually impact one's skin conditions, like acne, because everyone's skin biome is so unique to them. Lots of dermatologists who give the most unbiased opinions make this very clear when they talk about if products are safe for certain conditions without being able to diagnose and look at a person's skin in office.
So definitely the lines will be blurred but you would need to be careful who you are trusting (i.e. are brands just using terms like "skincare- makeup hybrid" to just get more search hits) - a perfect example of something that without any regulated control over the terminology and what is and isn't allowed to be included by a strict set of criteria is the term can end up being very misused and hurt customers' skin in the confusion: "clean beauty".

After all that rattling - I can give a couple of examples of makeup items that could double up as being technically skincare makeup: SPF foundations or tinted creams with SPF. A lot of people, myself included, are loving the Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation , and many like the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer  that is SPF 30 as well.
Some good examples below actually, the IT cosmetics foundation looks quite nice if it really does (even subtly) help improve the condition of you skin. The drunk elephant drops are probably good for people who like cream/ liquid blushes.

[kizaaa]

@CattyT3 I am very interested to see the foundation Dr. Vanita Rattan will create because such a foundation would be so helpful for people that deal with acne. I myself am a makeup lover, but I am cautious of how many times I can use base products during the week. Therefore, an acne-prone-friendly foundation sounds awesome!

I am glad that you brought up that clean beauty is often misunderstood to be acne-friendly. This is because I also made the mistake of confusing clean beauty/skincare to be acne-friendly. Years ago, I would research organic or clean products for my skincare. I implemented these products and as time went on, I noticed that my acne became more inflamed and increased. After this encounter, I stopped using them as they were not meant for me. 

Also, thank you for your recommendations!

[CattyT3]

I really feel your pain on that one, been convinced into a false sense of security when picking up some of the most popular skincare brands' products too many times now! Interestingly - and quite luckily actually - when it comes to makeup, I have only suffered allergic reactions to all liquid formulas I put on my face by a brand called Juvia's place. I love their formulation textures but my skin gets red and has reactive breakout pimples pop up across my face. Luckily no other makeup brand has caused me issues like this, but I have decided that I will be sticking to my trusted Urban Decay foundation for the foreseeable future  Urban Decay Stay Naked Weightless Foundation 92NN - I use shade 50cg that's no longer at Sephora, Armani Beauty Mini Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation 9 and the #bite beauty changemake foundation that is no longer in existence (sad).
My worst skincare disasters have been from the brands that people have over-popularized as being the best dermatologist approved or formulated with dermatologist formulas. Unfortunately it's just a somewhat regulated cosmetic term that many brands that use a lot of essential oils, for example, can still use and there's a whole lot of reasons why unless a dermatologist is personally investing their own R&D and money into the products, it doesn't mean much to have labels that dermatologists worked with a brand or approved certain formulations.
I have had success working on my partner's oily acne skin and getting him used to not treating his skin so harshly but using actives that will help him keep the acne more reduced consistently, so if you want to know some of those products that have worked best for that, do let me know.
And I hope to update about that foundation Dr Rattan is in the process of formulating soon.

[Westcoasty]

@kizaaa     What a great question - I must admit that I hadn't heard the term "skincare makeup" before, though I guess makeup with SPF in it would be one example...? Now I'm intrigued! Can you link to any examples?

To offer my opinion at this point in time, I think that skincare makeup targeted towards those who are acne-prone probably runs the gamut - some will be mostly marketing, but I would expect also that there are reputable companies out there who sincerely want to produce amazing products for their customers, and mostly succeed. If you've found a product line that you like, where the products work as described, chances are any new "skincare makeup" will have at least some beneficial effect.

That said, if skincare directly targeted towards acne-prone skin isn't a miracle cure for you, it's doubtful that adding makeup to a skincare product is going to be a silver bullet either. However, it might remove some of the issues typically caused by makeup, like comedones. Like I said, examples, please! 😁

I think your question about brands that are more gentle or acne safe is a separate query. My first reaction is "Surely there must be brands like that!," but when I think about skincare brands that seem very well-designed, they usually stick to skincare and don't dive into makeup as well. Skinfix, for example. Maybe others who have a need for products for acne-prone skin can give you a better answer than I can.

I'm really looking forward to reading what others say. Thanks again for bringing this up! I love hearing about new concepts like this.

[kizaaa]

@Westcoasty It is true that this makeup will likely not be beneficial, but if they cater to acne-prone by not causing breakouts, I would love that. 

Here are a few examples I have encountered with skincare-infused brands or items. A reoccurring brand is IT Cosmetics and a specific product is IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better Foundation + Skincare. In the description, the product says, "Achieve a better-looking complexion and bare skin in as little as two weeks". 

Another is the Drunk Elephant O-Bloos™ Rosi Glow Drops with Vitamin F, which is blush that is meant to be beneficial to the skin. 

Other skincare makeup brands I have heard of are Dermablend and Colorscience. 

[CattyT3]

The new Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops 1 oz / 30 mL probably fall into the same category as the IT cosmetics foundation I think.
The drunk elephant one actually looks a lot better than I expected the ingredients to be for such a product.

[Westcoasty]

@kizaaa  Okay, I totally get it now! Thanks for sharing those links.

I find the Drunk Elephant product particularly interesting, because they say "Drunk Elephant is committed to using only ingredients that either directly benefit the health of the skin or support the integrity of their formulations. The brand focuses on healthy pH levels, formulations the skin recognizes, small molecular structure that’s easily absorbed, and effective active ingredients that also support the skin’s acid mantle." I was curious, so I filtered by Verified Purchases and read the reviews. Not everyone liked it, but nobody said it made them break out, either. So that definitely sounds worth exploring if you just want a little flushed glow to your complexion.

The IT cosmetics foundation sounds like a great idea, but I suspect this leans towards marketing hype. I say that because their "consumer study" of a mere 10 people only achieved a 70% rate of participants saying their skin looked smoother, even though such pseudo-research usually contains participant bias [the desire to give the researcher the results they want], and their "clinical study" provides no statistics at all. However, to be fair, I read through the first ten pages of Verified Purchases. Lots of rave reviews, but several people said it was very drying to their skin, and one said it made their oily skin 10x worse. That doesn't mean it's a bad product, not when I see many reviewers calling it a "holy grail". Really it just proves that even the best product out there won't work for everyone. And I didn't see any reports of breakouts in the reviews I read, so that seems promising.

Anyhow, I'm now done my "it's the early hours of the morning and I can't get back to sleep" follow-up post. LOL. Thanks again - I did enjoy exploring that. Now I'm wondering if they have skincare makeup that also provides anti-aging benefits for the skin (as opposed to camouflaging signs of aging)!

[CattyT3]

That "small molecular structure that’s easily absorbed" statement is very misleading honestly when it comes to skincare: a lot of people experience irritation if product/ certain actives of smaller molecule size are applied to the skin.
Like how some people find glycolic acid too harsh for the skin altogether or in the concentration that is meant to meet the minimum concentrations for efficacy, as it's the smallest AHA molecule, but the smaller AHA molecules like lactic acid or mandelic acid might be better for a wider range of people for being larger and therefore less aggressive (when well formulated).

So it seems like quite a wishy washy description of how they are meant to be a good skincare line for skin health. Drunk Elephant certainly has some best in class skincare staples, I myself love Drunk Elephant Anytime, Anyface Lactic Acid Serum + Protini Moisturizer Duo , but the way they're phrasing certain things can be scientifically questionable and actually to the detriment of some people who look to these well marketed and highly popularized skincare brands to show them the latest and most innovative cosmetic formulas and philosophies. 

A lot of mismarketing and misinformation is also being perpetuated by the skincare and cosmetics industry as a whole that dermatologists and cosmetics chemists are working tirelessly to undo and correct to combat the fearmongering trends surrounding "chemical sunscreens" and even people getting scared off by using SPF unless it's "all natural".

Just a matter of how better responsibility needs to be taken by the big skincare brands to ensure they're advertizing information that is accurate and not misleading to people when they sell such vital actives in their skincare lines that can be make or break for their customers' skin health.