We’ve seen the ads, but are we sure skin care favorites like vitamin C and salicylic acid in foundation hold-up? Read on to find out if these new hybrid makeup x skin care products hold up- and just how exactly to use them.

Since the skin care boom of early 2020, we’ve all seen the industry grow to entirely new heights. Brands can’t expand into the niche quick enough and are rushing to get their new healing, brightening, and anti-aging products filled with niacinamide, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid on digital shelves ASAP.

However, where some brands are completely commiting to curating new lines dedicated to nourishing our complexions, like elf and KKW Beauty, others are venturing into hybrid care, mashing the worlds of makeup and skin care together.

Em Cosmetics has tackled this new path, formulating their beauty goods with vitamin E, squalane, and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. For many of us who love curatring both our makeup collections and ten step skin care routines, this mix makes sense, why not nourish and care for our skin every chance we get?

But, does this work? Can the ingredients that skin care aficionados have grown to love simply be dragged and dropped into lipsticks, foundations, and blushes and maintain their efficacy?

It turns out, they can! Em cosmetics is on to something. As long as active and beneficial ingredients are formulated alongside other ingredients that do not interfere with their ability to function, they’re bound to deliver their agreed upon effects. This depends on the amount of each active ingredient in each item of makeup, of course.

Although in theory skin care ingredients in makeup should work easily, there are different protocols that these hybrid formulations call for to keep them beneficial and not harmful to our skin barriers.

Keeping Active Ingredients in Makeup Effective

Blushes, lip tints, and foundations may be formulated to keep skin clear, plump, and bump free, however, not regularly cleaning the instruments you apply your skin care infused products with can render your superhero formulations useless.

In a study conducted in 2015, it was found that 61% of women only clean their brushes, blenders, and facial rollers once a month, if they elected to do so at all. Just thinking about all the bacteria, dead skin cells, and old makeup stuck onto these unwashed instruments makes us cringe.

Reusing dirty bacteria-ridden brushes renders skin care ingredients useless, effectively cancelling out their positive effects and instead clogs pores and irritates the skin.

If you want to achieve the results that your amped up makeup formulas promise, keep your tools clean. And remember to keep your hands clean if you’re applying makeup with your fingers!

Check For Interactions

Remember, not all skin care ingredients get along. Sometimes, the victim of these negative interactions is your complexion.

If you’re seeking out foundations formulated with AHAs and BHAs to combat acne, make sure to use only one or the other in both your skin care and makeup routines. Mixing AHAs and BHAs is a risky business! Also stray from mixing BHAs with retinol.

Just like with skin care, it’s always important to make sure there are no interactions between the ingredients in your makeup and all of the other products that are applied to your face!

Our Effective Makeup x Skin Care Recommendations

Light makeup continues to reign supreme in 2021. It’s for this reason that we’re loving buildable makeup products with active ingredients like Em Cosmetics buildable Color Drops Serum Blush formulated with vitamin E and squalane to protect the skin against free radicals.