Calling Out Some Over-Hyped Face Powder Products: NOT for Oily Skin!

Guest Post by Ashley Bergin

​In the world of makeup, there’s a list of hyped up words currently circulating that’ll cause cringe for any oily-skinned girl. Think hashtags such as: Luminous, Glowy, Reflective, Prism, Creamy, Radiant, and the atrocious “Dewy Dumpling”.  For those of us who fight tooth and nail to prevent shine, we can’t imagine purposely applying makeup that appears to amp up oil levels!

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Many popular products sprawled all over social media actually contain ingredients that can spell disaster for acne prone skin. Let’s take a look at some…    



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​BAD #1
Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrushed Finish Powder
The main ingredients are Talc, Mica and Dimethicone! ​These are 3 very unfriendly ingredients for oily, acne prone skin. 

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Talc and Dimethicone create a thick paste that clogs pores, the effects of which are intensified if the user has oily skin. Mica only adds shine to the skin, and should be reserved for eyeshadow and appropriately placed highlighters. In addition, this powder contains Rosa Multiflora Flower Wax. While we give them props for using a plant-derived ingredient, it’s still a rubbery wax that’s likely to clog pores.

When freshly applied, this powder looked nice and had even coverage, but it didn’t control shine for more than an hour. At a price point of $34, it seems like a whole lot to pay for burying your skin in less than stellar ingredients.   

BAD #2
La Mer’s “The Powder”
Nestled among some unpronounceable synthetics, along with a few high-quality natural ingredients, we find the same offenders: Dimethicone and Mica. Plus, I can’t really figure out why such a pricey brand would add synthetic colors like Red 7, Red 30 and Yellow 5. 

I actually sampled some of this at Nordstrom’s, wanting to find if it would truly provide the flawless finish it promises.  Admittedly, it felt silky and gave me a poreless finish, but this was oh-so-temporary. I was wearing my usual water-based Dinair foundation, but skipped powder so I could see the genuine effect of La Mer’s brand. After I used the sample, I wandered around the store, browsing and trying on some shoes. Around 2 hours later, I checked my complexion in a dressing room mirror and was disappointed to see oily breakthrough and ACCENTUATED pores! I’ve used drugstore Cover Girl Powder that has a longer lasting finish than this bizarrely expensive product.
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Thanks to Instagram, the “dewy dumpling” look (using La Mer’s Powder) is trending, which is horrifying to those with oily skin. There’s a fine line between spot-highlighting for a slight glow, and covering your entire complexion in a powder that coats you in shine, yet does nothing to control oil. All for $110 no less! Let’s leave this one for the dry skinned ladies. 

We’re not just here to target overpriced powders...there are also drugstore brands and lower cost items that underperform.

BAD #3
E.L.F. Mineral Pearls and Halo Glow Setting Powders 

While I'm a fan of quite a few E.L.F. products, these two powders were some of the worst for I ever tried on my oily skin. Not only do they have zero oil-control, they add an unwanted sheen to the complexion. These are especially bad to use when you might be photographed, as they contain mica, which reflects light and adds shine. 

​Mica can also clog pores, or at the very least it settles into pores and fine lines, massively accentuating them. While the Halo Glow Powder may appear unsuspecting, it contains a LOT of mica that becomes visible after application. In addition, these products both contain bismuth oxychloride, which can cause intense itching on oily skin. ​

Now, a few suggestions for powders that actually DO work on oily skin... 

GREAT #1
Mattify Cosmetics ULTRA Powder for Oily Skin

Ok, so it’s no big surprise that I’m including the Mattify brand of powder for a post on their website – but the reason I became involved in guest posting for this brand is because I absolutely adore their products! Their ULTRA Powder was the very first one I found that would control my oily skin.

Every morning, I use this powder under and over my foundation, and it doesn’t feel heavy or cakey. I love that it can be used as a primer and a setting powder, because my skin needs all the oil control it can get, without having a thick layer of color sitting on top of my makeup.

Unlike most colored setting powders I’ve used, I only need to retouch 1x per day when I’m at work. This seriously lasts 4 hours before re-powdering is necessary, and even though I’ve used it for the past 7 years, I’m still in awe every time I look in the mirror and don’t see a hideous gloss all over my face.

For anybody who is 100% against mica, silicone (dimethicone), talc, pearl powder, bismuth oxychloride, and artificial ingredients, this will be their holy grail. I’m incredibly acne prone, but this stuff is so gentle and light weight that I’ve barely suffered from any breakouts all the years I've used it. 

GREAT #2
Kosas Cloud Set Powder

This is probably the lightest weight tinted pressed powder I’ve ever used, and I’ve tried 50+ from high-end to drugstore brands. For some reason, when tint is added, many pressed powders look heavy. Add that to any fluctuations in heat or humidity within your environment, and it can quickly start to feel like you’re wearing an actual mask.

Kosas’s Cloud Powder is aptly named, because it goes on soft and fluffy. It also comes in a variety of shades, from warm to cool undertones. Blending is a breeze, but I’ve found that it’s best to use this immediately after applying foundation, for a poreless look. If you are using it to retouch, be sure to use a blotting technique rather than long sweeping motions, to avoid streaking your makeup. 

Now this is the strange part – it appears to have Mica as one of the main ingredients, but upon inspecting my compact, it doesn’t have any sheen at all. On the Kosas website, I could pinpoint some mica on the darker shades, but the one I purchased was called “Sheer Light Medium” and it looked matte, both in the container and when applied. Still, I reserve it only for special occasions, since I’m not fond of routinely applying mica over my entire face.

This one is also vegan and talc-free, plus it contains silica powder, rather than silicone. In addition, it has bamboo stem extract, which helps balance oil production. 

GREAT #3
Palladio Rice Powder

This is one of the few tinted powder variations I've found that has super oil-control abilities. If you prefer tinted over transparent, this brand is an excellent choice. It feels super light, and since it’s loose powder it has superb blendability, plus creates an airbrushed finish. 

The ingredients in this are minimal, they don't load it up with unnecessary fillers or chemicals. The rice starch is a great oil absorber, which helps foundation last longer and prevents streaking. It does contain talc, so if you have known sensitivities to that ingredient, you’ll want to avoid this one. I've found that I only have a bad reaction to talc if it's included with other pore clogging ingredients, like dimethicone (which Palladio's formula does not contain). If it's one of those days where I need light weight extra coverage over my foundation, this is my go-to choice.