The beauty industry certainly is glamorous, but it’s not always exciting—not when companies stick the with same old formulations and hues. When there are innovations, though, it can feel ground-breaking. Right now, some of the most exciting innovations in the makeup industry don’t belong to colorful eyeshadows or dramatic false eyelashes, but rather that old workhorse—your foundation.
The base makeup is tasked with some heavy lifting when it comes to covering and evening out your complexion, but companies haven’t always given the category a close look to see how formulations could be improved. That meant limited shades, uneven coverage, and formulations that seemed to slide off the face by the end of your morning meeting. Luckily for all women who think their skin could use a little cosmetic boost, that’s changing.
A Better Match for Everyone
In the past 18 months, there’s one brand that, without a doubt, has had the most significant impact on the beauty industry: Fenty Beauty. The line, created by R&B singer Rihanna, launched in 2017 with 40 shades that run the gamut of skin complexions from fair to deep. “When you think of diverse shade ranges, Fenty Beauty takes the cake,” celebrity makeup artist Michanna Murphy says. “It’s typically standard for foundation brands to release no more than 20 foundation shades.” Other companies have taken notes from Fenty, upgrading their own lines to be more inclusive of a wide diversity in shades.
Anti-Pollution
ProtectionFoundation hasn’t generally been thought of as a defense against the pollutants in the air, but why not? “Brands are introducing foundations that are “anti-pollution,” an important innovative step that’s turning foundation from just a makeup must-have into an essential skincare step,” beauty blogger Kelly Baum from A Thing of Beauty says. “Anti-pollution foundation is formulated with minerals and antioxidants that provide a protective shield against common pollutants, similar to how SPF protects the skin from UV rays.”
Coverage Customization
Beyond finding the right shade, one of the trickiest aspects of using foundation is getting the coverage right. Some tinted moisturizers only work on ladies with the most flawless of skin, but heavy coverage isn’t appealing unless you’re a news anchor under bright lights with a camera in your face. Full-coverage liquid foundations are certainly still an option, and tinted moisturizers aren’t going anywhere, but the import of BB creams from Asia and the introduction of CC (color-correcting) creams, plus a wealth of other options, mean that you can find the coverage that’s right for you.
Clean Ingredients
Between 2013 and 2017, sales of “natural” personal care products increased 2.1 percent—that’s a whopping $230 million, according to data from The Nielsen Company. Of course, manufacturers are going to take notice of numbers like that. Consumers are voting with their dollars and, more and more frequently, they’re saying that they want a cleaner ingredient list. This is particularly true for foundation, which is slathered all over the face. You just have to make sure that the brand’s “all-natural” label means what you want it to, given the lack of regulations surrounding these definitions.
