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Face

How does foundation work?

Many of us enhance the appearance of our face and neck by applying foundation, but how much do we know about what foundation consists of?

Foundations have four formulations

There are four basic facial foundation formulations: oil-based, water-based, oil-free, and water-free forms. Oil-based products are often best for dry skin, while water-based products can be adapted for all skin types. Oil-free formulations are used in oily skin foundations, while anhydrous or water-free forms are extremely long-wearing and used for camouflage or theatrical purposes.

Many foundations contain talc, for a smooth texture, and other powdery materials chosen for their ability to cover and hide tiny blemishes such as freckles. All foundations include some colouring material to enhance the natural colour of the skin.

Foundations come in many forms, including solid powder, sticks, creams, liquids and mousses. Some include moisturisers and especially benefit dry skin in winter. Other foundations contain sunscreen ingredients. You can speak to a beauty counter assistant to find out which will be most suitable for your skin type and colour.

What are foundations made of?

Depending on its formulation, each foundation will be made from very different ingredients.

• Oil-based foundations are water-in-oil emulsions which contain pigments suspended in oil, such as mineral or vegetable oil.
• Water-based foundations are oil-in-water emulsions which contain only a small amount of oil, in which the pigment is emulsified with a large quantity of water.
• Oil-free foundations substitute oils with other similar substances, such as silicones. These products are usually liquids and packaged in bottles.
• Water-free foundations are waterproof. Oils or oily substances will be mixed with waxes to form a cream.

Which type of foundation should I choose?

The choice of foundation is a highly individual one, and in the end is a matter of personal preference. Both the skin type and the season of the year need to be borne in mind before a final decision is made. You may find it helpful to speak to a beauty counter assistant to determine your skin type, and therefore which foundation format will suit you best.

Innovations

Sunscreens
Many foundations now contain sunscreens to help protect you from the ageing effects of the sun while you wear them. Look out for the words UV protection and Sun Protection Factor (SPF) numbers on the tube or bottle.

Light-diffusing foundations
"Light-diffusing" foundations can be great for older skins. They contain hundreds of tiny light-reflective particles that bounce light away from your skin, making fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes less noticeable.

Colour-corrective foundations
Colour-corrective foundation can be worn under your normal foundation to alter the skin-tone. They can seem quite strange at first glance because they come in a variety of sometimes bright colours. However, they can be highly effective at toning down a high skin colour (e.g. green tone foundation) or boosting the colour of your complexion.

How does blusher work?

Using ‘blusher’, ‘blush’ or ‘rouge’ is a popular way to brighten up the face and emphasise cheekbones. In ancient times the Greeks crushed mulberries to add colour, while Victorians pinched their cheeks to make them appear red. Fortunately, scientific developments mean that having blushing red cheeks need not be so painful today.

What is blusher made of?

Traditionally, blusher is usually made of red-coloured talcum-based powder, which has a soft silky texture and can be easily dusted over cheeks. The colouring is often made from safflowers, which have bright yellow, orange or red petals, or carmine, which is a deep red pigment.

Today cream and liquid blushers are also available. All are equally effective at giving you a rosy glow, it is really just personal choice as to which type of application and colour you prefer.

Where can I find more information?

If you want to find out about different types of ingredients in your products, visit what's in my cosmetic?

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is an association of manufacturers of cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery products, founded in 1945 to promote the interests of members, primarily with government. That remit has now extended to include the European Commission and many other regulatory bodies, national and international groups.

Members are manufacturers (full members), raw material suppliers and suppliers of services (associate members). Our Council is made up of senior industry representatives from small, medium, large and multi-national companies. Activities are funded through membership subscriptions.

The focus of our work centres on scientific, regulatory and legislative issues. We have a constant dialogue with the UK Government and this process is repeated at European level through COLIPA, the European trade body and internationally through an extensive network of national association contacts.

Visit the CTPA main website »

The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) is the voice of the cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery industry in the UK. Our members vary from small and medium-sized companies to large multi-nationals and include manufacturers, raw material suppliers and service providers.

Our primary goal is to promote good working practice to ensure that consumers are provided with the very best products. To this end, we co-ordinate the industry's viewpoint on key issues such as science, innovation and safety and maintain an open dialogue with government, both at UK and European level, as well as with international regulatory authorities and key opinion formers.

CTPA recognises that the consumer has a right to understand the processes that industry and the regulatory bodies go through to ensure the safety and efficacy of cosmetic and toiletry products. Over the years we have steadily increased our focus on providing the public with direct access to the industry's perspective and progress on safety, science and innovation.

In April 2008 we launched our consumer information website, www.thefactsabout.co.uk, which provides scientific facts about common ingredients used in cosmetics and the industry's perspective on common safety questions as well as information on how products are regulated to ensure safety and efficacy.

Further information on the work of the CTPA is available from our main website www.ctpa.org.uk which also houses the full set of legislation under 'Cosmetic regulations'.