Fabulous skin starts with a great foundation
The professional beauty industry views skincare as the most important step in any makeup routine. Prepping the skin enables consumers to use fewer, not more products, and aligns perfectly with today’s requirement for a light, weightless, and naturally luminous look that won’t strip the skin of natural moisture.
To enable consumers to make the best coverage choice for their skin and lifestyle, brands and manufacturers are constantly innovating new products in line with their unique beauty needs. The same is true for the beauty ingredients industry where we are seeing an uplift in ground-breaking ingredient solutions to enhance skin health and beauty formulations.
At Oleon Health and Beauty, we know that a beautiful visage starts with super hydrated and healthy skin – offering beauty consumers a smooth and even template that will allow foundation, tinted moisturizers, BB creams, and color correctors to do their magic with a lustre and glow that lasts all day!
Coverage unpacked
But first, let’s unpack coverage products, and in particular foundation where we typically find three types of coverage: light, medium, and full.
Light coverage generally refers to products that can cover unevenness and slightly blotched skin, containing between 13 to 18% pigment. A product that promises medium coverage will cover freckles, discolorations, blotchiness, and red marks, with a pigment content of between 18 to 23%. Full coverage, sometimes referred to as corrective or camouflage makeup, can cover birthmarks, vitiligo, hyperpigmentation, and topical scars. These products generally contain up to 35% pigment, although, in professional brands and those designed for stage makeup application, this can rise to 50%.1
In addition to traditional foundation, we are also seeing new product development around tinted moisturizers and BB creams. These products combine the benefits of skincare with makeup and offer light to medium coverage that will even out the complexion - ideal for people who don’t require a heavy foundation but still want to feel like they are wearing makeup.2 Some of the most recent launches tout pore-refining to light-reflecting and color-correcting properties, with ample lightweight coverage to boot, making them suitable for any season or occasion – ideal for consumers searching for a natural look and a featherweight alternative.
Another trending product is tinted serum. This is a skincare makeup hybrid that delivers just the right amount of coverage while tackling compromised skin, putting a new spin on ‘no makeup, makeup’ that is all about enhancing the skin, rather than just covering up.3 Not forgetting hybrid suncare with high-performance SPF foundation – offering coverage and protection in one - for a fresh, flawless skin finish while keeping consumers safe in the sun!
Foundation formulations
Stability is one of the most important aims for any formulator or product manufacturer, and most will know the nightmare of precipitated pigments in a clear solution, or an emulsion that separates during the various processing phases.
At Oleon Health and Beauty, we understand these concerns. Our specialist range of products and our team of experts are on hand to assist you with all your formulation requirements.
When we look at liquid foundations, these are typically broken into water, silicone, or oil-based solutions and each has unique benefits and drawbacks.
For consumers prone to breakouts or combination skin, a water-based foundation can be gentle on the skin and can assist with hydration. Water-based foundations or coverage products are also less comedogenic, so are great for acne-prone skin.4
Oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O) ingredients are currently popular as pigments and are incorporated into the continuous oil phase. The oil-in-water phase is often referred to as the internal phase. Emulsifier molecules enclose the minute oil droplets as they disperse through the water medium. This is then referred to as the external phase as the oil is ‘wrapped in water’ it can result in the emulsions feeling significantly less drying.5
When it comes to water-in-oil-in-water (WOW) emulsions, Our Jolee® 7777 acts as an optimized emulsifier blend, enabling a one-step and direct emulsification process. This combination enables a sensorial change during application: the initial O/W emulsion offers a light sensory followed by the nourishing finish known from W/O emulsions. Under the right preparation conditions and with an optimized water and oil phase, multiple emulsions with high stability can be obtained. On top of that, Jolee® 7777 is a liquid emulsifier package, meaning it can be used for cold process formulation methods, saving both time and energy.
Silicone-based foundation usually contains ingredients like dimethicone, which can create a smooth and silky texture on the skin. It enables a variety of finishes from dewy to matte and regardless of the aesthetic preference, most people can find a silicone foundation they like.6
These products also work well for skin with skin imperfections like enlarged pores and wrinkles. Here, our Jolee® 7202 is a natural emollient with silicon-like sensorial properties with excellent spread, absorption, and unique lightness typical of Jolee® 7202. This silicone alternative is experienced as slightly oily upon application but finishes with a unique powdery after-feel. Jolee® 7202 is a readily biodegradable product suitable for cold or hot processes and ideal in various applications including color cosmetics.
When it comes to oil-based foundations, these can be a great fit for dry skin as these oil-based foundations often contain mineral oil, jojoba7, or argan8 oils. The Oleon Health and Beauty range of specialist beauty oils provides a beautifully hydrating and nourishing effect on the skin with a radiant and dewy finish when incorporated into tinted moisturizers rather than foundation formulations. It is also a good fit for those with dry skin, but not for consumers with oily or acne-prone skin and these can often leave a ‘heavier’ feel on the skin.9
Color up!
When it comes to choosing the right color, shade, and coverage, there is nothing more off-putting than a foundation that does not match the face, neck, and decolletage. Searching for the right foundation shade is not always easy, partly because it is often difficult for consumers to earmark the undertone of their skin while some brands don’t have light or dark enough products to match the user's skin tone properly. In the past, foundation shades were limited, but brands are responding by developing shades for all skin tones to be more inclusive. Currently, Lady Gaga's Haus Labs contain 51 options, making it the beauty brand with the greatest number of shades.10 This requirement is fast becoming more interactive too, incorporating in-store experiences such as skin scanning services that can help consumers choose the right shade and formulation, effortlessly.
The color correcting and foundation market is a hive of innovation, as consumers and brands explore products that offer functional benefits, making the move between skincare and makeup with products that offer great coverage with a natural, light glow for a lighter, barely-there aesthetic.
For more information on our range of products that can assist in your color cosmetic formulations, please contact the Oleon Health and Beauty team today.
ENDS
Reference:
Foundation (cosmetics) - Wikipedia
What is BB cream and how do I use it? | Clarins - Clarins
The 5 Essential Rules of Make-up For Older Women - Secret Spa
4,5 Ingredients used in formulating green liquid foundations (ulprospector.com)
The Differences Between Water, Silicone and Oil-Based Foundations | Makeup.com
191419-Argan-Oil.pdf (kerfootgroup.co.uk)
Why is Jojoba Oil resonating so strongly with personal care shoppers? (kerfootgroup.co.uk)
9,10. Tinted moisturizers are back - and they will transform dull-looking skin from £14 (telegraph.co.uk)
