Is your foundation making you look older?
Obviously this is one for the ladies and more adventurous guys of SCforM but I thought i’d put this out there since it’s handy to know.
Now there’s no truth to the claim that foundation or makeup in general is bad for your skin. As long as you wash it off at night, you’re fine! As skincare/makeup hybrids become popular (thanks to the Asian foundation market), most foundation products now contain SPF. This is where things become a little bit murky and if you’re not careful, you could be damaging your skin rather than protecting it with your foundation. A few pointers:
Firstly, unless you apply a quarter of a teaspoon of foundation to your face (that’s a LOT) you’re not getting the protection listed on the bottle. In fact you’re getting close to no sun protection in most cases.
The logical thing to do is apply your foundation over a product containing SPF but this involves another problem.
There are two popular sun protection ingredients on the market, the first is Octinoxate and the second is Avobenzone. Separately they’re fine but used together they destabilise each other. That means they cancel each other out and so they don’t protect you from the sun at all. That means you won’t be getting any protection from either your SPF moisturiser or your foundation.
Another thing to watch out for is applying a mineral foundation over sun protection containing Avobenzone. The uncoated mineral particles will, again, destabilise the sun protection – leaving your skin at risk. You’d be surprised at how many people are unknowingly mixing these ingredients; thinking they’re protecting their skin but really leaving it at risk of premature ageing and sun damage.
So, before you slap on your foundation in the morning, read the ingredients list on your foundation as well as the ingredients in your sunscreen/moisturiser. 99% of foundations use Octinoxate as a sun filter and mineral makeup is fine with Octinoxate so the quick and dirty is that if you’re using a foundation with SPF or a mineral foundation, avoid SPF products containing Avobenzone.
NB: Octinoxate may also be listed as Octyl methoxycinnamate, Avobenzone may also be listed as Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane.
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Reader's Request #6
Good job in highlighting this. Recently I have come across sunscreens containing Mexoryl SX and XL. A lot of ppl seem to be raving about the benefits of Mexoryl over other sunscreens. What’s your opinion ?
Thanks! Mexoryl is a brilliant sun filter since it covers a large spectrum of light – definitely one of the better ones out there.
How about sunscreens with Tinosorb?
Those are fine, Avobenzone is the one to avoid!
Thanks so much for this. Lots of people talk about all the new sunscreen ingredients but they are always listed their full chemical name in australia so you never really know what sunscreen you are getting! Off to go check my moisturiser and foundation now!
Ooh quick q, what about titanium dioxide? I use an Olay moisturiser that contains Avobenzone and my foundation is Estee Lauder Double Wear and that contains titanium dioxide..does that just fall under the mineral band wagon?