Andrulakis points to makeup artists turned brand founders who have launched their own makeup products, many of which feature skincare.
“We think about runway and red carpet makeup — 15 years ago, these makeup artists had to mix their own skincare with products because those products didn’t exist on the market,” says Androulakis. “So all those gaps that they found, whether it was Mario DedivanovicOr Charlotte Tilbury or Pat McGrath, they all incorporated what they needed into their products.
However, beyond function, the actual skincare benefits of makeup are less effective. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, MD, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology Mount Sinai Hospital In New York City, she says the skincare dose included in makeup is usually too small to produce results and should not replace your daily skincare routine.
“Most specialty ingredients require delivery systems that do not allow for cosmetically acceptable makeup,” explains Dr. Zeichner. “While these ingredients are included in makeup, they are often included in lower concentrations so as not to interfere with the aesthetics of the makeup itself.”
Rude, the skincare brand he founded Hailey Bieberis one of the leading brands that adopt “peptides” as part of their marketing strategy. Rhode entered the color cosmetics category in 2023 with the launch of a range Peptide lip tint Followed by Pocket blush. Dr. Dhaval BhanusaliMD, Founder Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery And a member of Rudd’s Skin Care Advisory BoardSkin care in makeup is a “complementary benefit,” he says.
“In general, we don’t view skin care items as a primary benefit of makeup,” says Dr. Bhanusali. “If you’re putting something on your skin, you want to enhance the benefits as best you can. However, makeup is supposed to sit on top of your skin, so there can be a limit to the effectiveness. I like to look at both. Soothing ingredients like niacinamide and ingredients that can maintain… Moisturizing such as hyaluronic acid and squalane.
On the other hand, there are some skincare ingredients that you should avoid. Dr. Ferzli recommends staying away from retinol and vitamin C in makeup.
“Retinol, for most people, should be in your routine because it should be effective and dehydrate the skin,” she says. “So putting it in makeup doesn’t make any sense because you’re not supposed to wear retinol during the day anyway. And a small dose put in makeup would cause irritation, if any, because it’s definitely a weaker version of the molecule.”
Regardless, Andrulakis says we can expect more and more brands to push the boundaries when it comes to skincare in makeup. She hints at innovations coming “in the next few months” using new ingredients such as Polyglutamic acid.
“Brands used to spray actives at such a low level that they wouldn’t actually pass clinical testing.” Andrulakis says. “But now they’re pushing it to point-of-use because customers want to see the result way more than they wanted before. They’re even going as far as testing things clinically, where you’ll see a brand like House Laboratories Using a peptide in a lip product that contains Clinical tests “Behind him.”
