I stumbled on a statement quite recently where the maker said, in a nutshell, that wearing makeup gives you bad skin and will clog your pores. Therefore, you should not wear makeup regularly or at all. If you want to wear makeup, only wear it rarely.
I must say its a very bold and not altogether accurate statement. I do remember people telling me back in the day that wearing makeup could make bad skin worse or could turn good skin bad. I didn’t realise this way of thinking still prevails till today!
Does wearing makeup cause bad skin or will it clog your pores and give you pimples and acne? I’ll say yes, but also no.
Yes: Makeup CAN give you bad skin and clog pores
Yes, makeup can do all that. It can clog your pores and give you pimples and breakouts. If you have more sensitive skin and use a foundation that is too oily or heavy for your skin, or if there is an ingredient in there that irritates your skin, you can experience breakouts and if you don’t take care, it can make your skin look worse.
The biggest culprits are usually foundation, powder and blush. These are products you apply over a wide surface of your skin and ingredients in there that do not agree with your skin can cause you problems. Know your own skin and don’t be swayed just because everyone loves a product – your skin may hate it.
One ingredient I know of that causes people to break out is silicone. It can clog pores and although it is also present in a lot of skincare, many people also break out from silicone in their foundations, powder and blushes. The product you will most likely find containing large amounts of silicone is usually face primers which is why if you have problem skin, it might not be the best product to use. Using makeup can therefore cause more harm than good and for some people, this scares them away from using any.
Yet, there are makeup like mineral makeup which rode a crest of popularity about 5 years ago and which is now lingering on the fringes of the makeup world. Mineral makeup is known to be kinder to skin than regular department store or drugstore makeup. The foundations have fewer ingredients, no fragrance and are more gentle while offering the same benefits of regular makeup. So, if you have very sensitive skin then mineral makeup is an option to consider. On the upside, mineral makeup is also usually affordable and natural.
Another thing to consider is the age of your makeup. If you aren’t careful about tossing out old or expired makeup then yes, you can expect it to cause problems for your skin. Also, know where your makeup comes from. There are many affordable brands available these days of high quality. There is no excuse to knowingly buy fake makeup or makeup from unknown sources. I personally am much fussier about my base makeup (foundation) and blushes than I am about eye or lip colours. I’d save on the latter but always splurge for the former, provided its a good one.
Using too much product isn’t good for your skin either. Remember, less is more. If you already have good skin, you do not need a lot of foundation to achieve that fake, flat, photoshopped look people strive for in photographs. Makeup for professional photography is different from day-to-day makeup. For everyday, you only need a light layer, with some subtle enhancements and that shouldn’t be bad for your skin at all!
No: Makeup WILL NOT give you bad skin and clog pores
On the flipside, I’d say that makeup does not on its own give you bad skin and clogged pores. Part of it may be attributable to what the makeup item contains. The other part is down to proper makeup removal, cleansing and skincare.
When wearing makeup (and this is true also of BB Cream because some people actually do not consider BB Cream makeup. Yes, I find it mind boggling but it happens. BB Cream is makeup, folks and should be cleansed off properly!) the removal process is just as important, or even more important, than the application.
If you want to wear makeup, you have to establish a good makeup removal routine, be it using cleansing oils, cleansing waters or cleansing milk. It is important to remove it all, as this will help ensure the remnants do not clog your pores. I like to double-cleanse with a gel cleanser thereafter, whichever method of removal I use, as I feel that cleans my skin better. Also, it is very important to practice this makeup removal irrespective of the time you get home. Nothing good ever came out of being lazy!
Another thing to consider is the makeup that you use. These days, many brands infuse skin-caring benefits into their makeup so it is no longer the plaster type textures of the days of yore, when makeup went on thick as a mask with a thick, oily, heavy texture. These days, many makeup bases have a lighter water base and have some element of skincare incorporated and even sun protection. Makeup these days can therefore even be beneficial to skin.
Don’t cake it on if you don’t have to. There’s no need to wear 15 layers of makeup to go to work if you’re just going to be at your desk all day. A lot will depend on your work place of course and how polished you have to look. If all you want or need is a touch of subtle enhancements (and I have been advised to at least put on some powder and a lick of lipstick to look more confident in the eyes of the public!) then go light.
Most importantly, use proper skincare. I “treat” my skin in the evenings when I do my evening skincare routine to protect my skin as much as it is to treat it. Exfoliate your skin regularly and do a face mask when you can. It goes a long way towards taking care of your skin, and when you have better skin, you will find yourself wearing less makeup, so goes the circle of life! 😀
Wearing makeup isn’t all bad
I had a bad case of acne when I was younger, all the way till I started working when I discovered learning how to wear concealer and foundation. I wish someone had taught me back then that it wasn’t bad to wear a thin layer of foundation over my face to hide the redness from the pimples and acne. It would have gone much further to boost my self esteem when I needed it most.
So go on, wear some makeup. But remember to use a light hand, wear something good quality and when the time comes, remove it properly and there’s no reason why your skin should be any worse 🙂
What do you think? Did wearing makeup give you bad skin or were you taught that it would give you bad skin?
I used to be told it would give me bad skin and since I already had bad skin, I was understandably concerned. I never wore foundation until I started working. I wish I knew then what I know now.
Paris B
Note: All images attributed to Disney “Mulan”. There is much to be learnt from watching cartoons 🙂
Very informative post, thanks for sharing this info and tips 🙂
You’re most welcome Sataa, I’m glad you found it useful 🙂
great post! im suffering from adult on-set acne and everyone is telling me off for using make-up.. “:
Aww sorry to hear that Samantha, but now you can tell them its nothing to do with your makeup 🙂 I do think trying to go barefaced as much as possible does help with healing though. I hope you cure it soon! 🙂
I don’t think makeups are the biggest contributing factor to bad skin. It is the ingredients in your skincare and makeups that make you skin sensitive, break-out and dehydrate (from harsh chemicals etc). I normally advise all my clients to avoid products that have mineral oil, paraffin, sulfate and paraben (to least a few :)) Mineral powder is a great alternative to foundation and it is only product used post laser and facial treatments, because it does not contain harmful chemicals and it tends to sit on your skin. However, not all mineral powders are chemical free though – a lot of brands use cheap ingredients, such as talc to bulk it up, so just check the label and shop around 🙂
Thanks for sharing your professional view, Natalie! 😀 I think mineral makeup was created for this purpose, of being more gentle to skin but I do know of people who react adversely to it too. I have experienced itchiness with some as well as clogged pores 🙁 But good advise! Hope you’ve been well 😀
Hey Paris!!! How are you doing? 🙂
Brands like Jane Iredale and Mineralogie (I have no association with them btw :D) offer 100% chemical free and non comedogenic mineral powders, so they shouldn’t give you any reactions or block your pores. So the mineral power that you buy at the medispa/skin clinic should be safe, not the commercial brand ones 🙂 How is life in your neck of woods? I totally envied your spa experience – I am so treating myself at the spa once all the exams are finished!!
Hello lady! I’m doing fairly well all things considered – hope your exams go well and end soon! I can’t imagine sitting anymore exams at this point of my life to be honest LOL! 😀 Thanks for the mineral makeup suggestions. I have heard a lot about Jane Iredale and how good it is. But I just find mineral makeup so fiddly, don’t you think? Especially the loose powders. Nvey Eco has packaged them into regular makeup compacts which does make it a bit more appealing 😉
It must be nice and warm over there Paris! Raining and freezing cold down in Melbourne 🙁 Haha I am studying BHSc in Dermal Therapies, so it is really interesting to learn about skin (there is so much to learn! Grr). Jane Iredale has liquid mineral foundation, which has skincare & mineral foundation in one, but I didn’t think it was doing much in terms of providing coverage… but yeah, I think a lot of companies now come up with the compact style and they are so much better! Even I recommend mineral foundations to the clients, I wear Shu BB. So go figure 😀
mmm warmth is an understatement my dear, its baking hot! 😛 Gosh! Does it make you a dermatologist in time to come? I think anyone who studies medicine or anything to do with the body is amazing. There’s just so much to learn! Its also interesting that you don’t use a mineral foundation! Then again, if regular products don’t trouble your skin, I suppose there’s no need to change 😀
Some ingredient in some makeup can cause break out , and for me is Estee Lauder Longwear Foundation … The makeup lasted all day long and i love it but it gives me clog pores and break out . I think an evening cleansing is very important , just cleanse your skin thoroughly in the evening , especially wearing waterproof makeup , double cleanse is very important . As long as skin is makeup free in the evening , your skin is free prom pore-clogging gunk like oils and dirts, skin sure will be good ! I’m using clarisonic every evening , and i love it . It really help me to cleanse away all makeup i wore during the day , it’s sure is a great investment for me ;D
Know what Leonard, I think that longwearing anything tends to clog pores more than something that doesn’t claim to be longwearing! I try not to wear longlasting makeup for consecutive days because it dries out my skin too. So, you are definitely right that ingredients in makeup can contribute to clogged pores that can result in bad skin. Its good to know using the Clarisonic helps you. Its quite impressive just how well it cleans the face! I use it once a week or once in 2 weeks and its been good for me this way 🙂
I used to have bad acne that I thought was from wearing makeup regularly, so I stopped doing so for 2 years. Lately I just got back to wearing makeup on a daily basis to work after I switched to Cleansing Oil. I wanted to test out this theory that wearing makeup=bad skin, and looks like it’s a Myth! It’s not wearing makeup regularly that is the problem, it’s how one remove makeup at the end of the day >.<
Its good to know you worked out its a myth, Germaine 🙂 I know how hard it is when you already have problematic skin for people to then point to the makeup and tell you its the cause! However, it would also be wise to ensure tools are clean and that you don’t wear more than necessary. Don’t want to make a bad problem worse 🙂
If I had bad skin (which I don’t, thankfully!), I’d wear makeup to cover it up!! I REFUSE to believe that makeup makes your skin bad. However, allergies to certain ingredients do, so need to stop being lazy and blame makeup, and do the homework! As much as I love putting on makeup, I love a clean face more. So I put in as much effort to clean my face everytime! Even during those good ol’ times when I stumbled home at 7am. I’ve never slept with makeup on, and so I’ve never really had any trouble from the years of slapping on makeup, drugstore or high end!!
Wise words, Ika! No matter how late it is when I reach home, I always make sure my face is clean before I get into bed. In fact, I don’t remember a time when I don’t at least grab a quick shower and wash my face before falling into bed, no matter how exhausted I am! It feels so grimy otherwise, I don’t know how people can stand it 😛
agree! cleansing is important, but sometimes i find it difficult to cleanse the waterproof mascara
Too true, Kelly! I find a good waterproof makeup remover helps and also leaving a piece of cotton over the lashes for a while.
That’s such a myth that we’ve been told by our mothers…ok, mine really. And while people with sensitive skin need to be more careful with what they put on their skin, I say it’s all about the cleansing. Like what you said, BB cream is a cosmetic product, you NEED to remove that off your face at night! Even tinted moisturisers too IMO. So with my girls who are starting to get curious about makeup, I cannot stress enough on the importance of cleansing. That I think is usually the root of most skin issues.
Your girls are lucky you’re their Mom and can put them on the right track re: cleansing properly after wearing makeup and wearing makeup properly. Just gotta be careful where the blush goes eh? 😉
Hi Paris
I dont mean to come across as rude but you said it yourself in the post makeup brings more harm than benefits. Yes makeup is a necessity, but what I dont like seeing is teenage girls wearing make up too young. It is much better to concentrate on taking care of ur skin than concealing it. I admit sometimes makeup should be used in cases where ppl have severe acne or hyperpigmentation, no arguing in that. What I dont agree on is ppl who invest more in concealing rather than healing the skin. I did not wear makeup until I was 20, good gracious I was a nerd haha and I am so thankful I did that. My skin is not perfect, but it is one of my best assets and rigorous skincare and wearing less makeup are the ways that I am ready to vouch for.
Hi Vee, no offence taken. I do think makeup brings more harm if it’s used as a crutch not to address skin problems with proper skincare. However, that said, as someone with pigmentation problems and who would rather not undergo laser or peels etc then I think having some concealer on is better for the self-esteem than not having any at all. For acne or pimple problems, then makeup isn’t an answer. Proper skincare and skin treatment is which is why I feel that a proper skincare routine trumps everything 🙂
Hi Paris.
May I ask your opinion on Vacci Foundation from Hansaeegee Signature brand? I’ve just started using it like two times. I feel like it’s clogging my pores. My skin was about to get better (from acnes and only left with few obvious reddish scars) just before I start trying the foundation because I’my also trying an argan oil as my serum everyday. IS foundation heavy for our skin? I’m only 21, does it too early for me to put foundation on my face? I am currently using organic products for cleanser which is a soap, organic toner which is the argan oil and a BB cream from Dr. Wu. before I decided to try Hansaeegee’s Foundation to replace the BB Cream from Dr. Wu. I really hope you could help me.
Thanks a lot.
Hi there, afraid I haven’t tried that product so I can’t share any views. As for foundation, I think it’s dependant on a few factors. One would be whether the ingredients irritate your skin. I won’t say that 21 is too young to wear foundation. You can wear a lightweight one if you feel it makes you happier, but if you don’t feel like you need it, then there’s really no need to just because everyone else is. Once you do wear though, then you will have to invest in a proper makeup remover and/or cleanser, be it a cleansing oil or cleansing balm to ensure your makeup is properly removed. Clogged pores can be caused by either ingredients irritating your skin, or improper cleansing. So, sometimes it’s hard to say which is the bigger culprit.