The right makeup can make you look like you — on your best day ever. It can give your skin a glow, brighten your eyes, and bring out the pretty in your pout. But not all makeup products are created equal. Some contain ingredients that aren’t great for your skin, while others would be fine — on a different skin type, but not on your dry, oily, or sensitive skin.
Your skin will usually let you know if it’s unhappy with a product you’re using. You may find your skin is more irritated, red, or has broken out in acne. Sometimes you don’t get active acne, but it’s clear as day that your pores are clogged. Feel free to stock up on a great retinol or salicylic acid serum that can help unclog pores, but don’t overlook the importance of identifying which makeup product is wreaking all of this havoc so that you can switch up what you use.
These are the pore-clogging makeup products women over 40 should avoid at all costs.
Primers With Silicones
Primer is an absolute star that we love and would never give up. If you wear foundation or even just concealer, a good primer will smoothen out your skin, minimize the appearance of your pores, and create a barrier between your skin and makeup so that it looks its best and lasts longer. But many primers (and foundations) contain silicone as a main ingredient. Silicone is what makes your primer feel so smooth and allows it to glide on. But if you’ve been experiencing acne and clogged pores lately, the culprit may actually be silicone in your makeup. Because silicones have occlusive properties, they may not work on all skin types. Try searching for silicone-free primers instead.
Foundations With Perfume
A great scent can be alluring, and many makeup brands infuse their products with scent so that they capture your imagination and keep you coming back. But sensitive skin types are especially, well, sensitive, to perfumes. Artificial fragrances found in makeup like foundation can cause allergic reactions and clog your pores. Even if your eye shadow or lipstick has fragrance, it can affect your skin. Luckily, this is one area where you shouldn’t run up against challenges: so many makeup products are now made with natural ingredients — avoid fragrances wherever you can.
Powders With Mica
Love setting your makeup with powder? You’re not alone — this popular makeup product is especially great at sealing the deal after you’ve applied foundation and concealer and it can help make your makeup last a long time. But many powders and bronzers contain mica and talc — two ingredients that are notorious for clogging pores. Try to read ingredients lists if you suspect these are the source of your acne and find powders that are as close to natural as possible.
The Wrong Foundation Formula
Even if you’re faithfully reading product labels and staying away from harsh or sensitizing ingredients, sometimes a certain makeup product won’t work on your skin. This is seen a lot with foundation. You can have the best foundation in the world, but if it’s not ideal for your skin type, it may clog your pores.
So here’s what this means: oily skin types should stick to oil-free liquid or powder foundations. If you have dry skin, you can use a more hydrating liquid foundation that contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid.
At the end of the day, anything you apply to your skin has the power to clog your pores. Try introducing one new product, including makeup, to your skin at a time, so that you can identify the source of your troubles if you begin to break out. And avoid ingredients like the ones we mentioned to lessen the chance your makeup will be pore-clogging.
