How difficult is it to develop a makeup foundation that is closest to skin care?

The base makeup is the foundation of the entire makeup, and it is also an essential step in the makeup. With the changes in market demand, many liquid foundation products gradually focus on creating products from scientific research perspectives such as ingredients and formulas, and to a certain extent follow the skin care logic of “ingredients” and “effects” to diversify consumers. Makeup pain points.

So, from the perspective of research and development, how is a good bottle of liquid foundation made?

01

The difficulty of research and development of base makeup is close to that of skin care products

From the perspective of usage scenarios, liquid foundation is “the closest makeup to skin care products”.The usage scenarios of liquid foundation and skin care products are highly overlapped: on the one hand, from the perspective of product characteristics such as fluidity, viscosity, covering power, and ductility of liquid foundation, as a transition category that combines some of the characteristics of skin care and makeup, liquid foundation The requirements of formulation technology continue the high standards similar to skin care products; on the other hand, in terms of frequency of use and purpose of use, consumers also have higher requirements for the safety and functionality of liquid foundation products; The scope of application is large and special. When consumers use liquid foundation, they need to apply the liquid foundation evenly to the entire face to lay a good foundation for the subsequent use of color makeup. 

From the research and development point of view, the research and development difficulty of foundation makeup such as liquid foundation is also very close to skin care products.

Sensient, a world-renowned supplier of colorants, flavors and raw materials, has publicly stated that compared with skin care, base makeup products that add color powder to their formulas and components “have to be more stable, longer-lasting, and feel more comfortable on the skin.” Good recipes are challenging.” 

“There are differences in skin quality among consumers, so it is impossible to define what a good bottle of liquid foundation looks like.” A cosmetic research and development engineer in Guangzhou said bluntly that from the perspective of skin quality, oily skin, dry skin, blemish skin, etc. The requirements are different, “For consumers, the liquid foundation that suits them is a good liquid foundation, so manufacturers also have many directions in the innovation and research and development of liquid foundation.”

“Compared to Caucasians, Asians have smaller pore size and lower pore density. Therefore, Europeans have higher requirements for oil control of base makeup products, while Asians have higher requirements for product shades and coverage. .A makeup setting product suitable for Asians, requiring more uniform and fine powder to present a light and transparent makeup effect.

 “The main function of liquid foundation is to prime the skin during makeup, and the core raw materials and product form of liquid foundation determine different primer effects.” According to the above engineer, the core raw materials of liquid foundation include thickener ingredients and emollients. Ingredients, film formers, anti-caking agent ingredients, viscosity control ingredients, colorant ingredients, moisturizing ingredients and oil control ingredients, etc., correspond to the properties of the foundation such as durability, spread, smoothness, oil control, and moisturizing power. At present, the filling liquid foundation mainly has two forms: semi-fluid liquid and powder with weaker fluidity. The above-mentioned core components have different proportions, which not only affect the product form of the liquid foundation, but also affect the use effect of the liquid foundation. 

Take one of the core components in liquid foundation products, polymer-film-forming agent, as an example. The personal care team of Momentive High-tech Materials Group said: “The film-forming agent determines whether the base makeup and sunscreen products are breathable and long-lasting. Anti-perspiration and oil control and compatibility with base makeup ingredients are crucial to the presentation of the final makeup effect, comfort, long-lasting performance, and avoidance of rubbing mud.” It is understood that there are mainly five film-forming agents commonly used in cosmetics. Types: protein film-forming agents, acrylic resin film-forming agents, polyethylene copolymers, silicone polymers and silicone acrylates, and whether it is possible to develop an exclusive film-forming agent that is adequate for foundation products represented by liquid foundation , maximizing the effect of base makeup, or will be the innovation point of future base makeup research and development.

02

Skin nourishing liquid foundation has become a trend

Consumers’ basic needs for liquid foundations focus on conventional functions such as pore modification, concealer, and even skin tone. However, with the improvement of aesthetic requirements and consumer awareness, consumers’ requirements for liquid foundations extend to oil control, moisturizing, long-lasting, and compliant. Some manufacturers and brands even advanced the efficacy of liquid foundation to high sun protection and skin care. 

“After the rise of liquid foundation products in China, people mainly use them to brighten skin tone and cover blemishes, but now the development of liquid foundation has reached a new stage of function expansion. For example, many liquid foundation products will be diversified and innovative, such as adding It is also common for some optical toners to add sunscreen, anti-blue light and other ingredients, and to introduce other skincare concepts such as actives.” The aforementioned engineer told reporters that consumers’ preference for liquid foundations that focus on skincare concepts is second only to concealers.

“The so-called skin nourishing liquid foundation is to add additional ingredients with skin nourishing effects to the basic liquid foundation, such as anti-aging, anti-oxidation, moisturizing and other functional ingredients.” The engineer said, “These functional ingredients allow consumers to Makeup and makeup can be synchronized with skin care at the same time.” 

At present, many international and domestic brands on the market have launched skin nourishing liquid foundation, such as Bobbi Brown Cordyceps Skin nourishing liquid foundation, Lancome pure liquid foundation, Huaxizi long-lasting makeup liquid foundation, which focuses on flower extracts and makeup, are among the representative products.  

However, the engineer also pointed out that skin nourishing liquid foundations are more expensive than ordinary liquid foundations, “Some brands claim that their liquid foundations contain certain precious skin nourishing ingredients, and even promote that some skin nourishing liquid foundations can isolate, reduce Makeup damages the skin, but in fact there is a very high technical threshold to achieve these effects.”

03

The trend of liquid foundation in small packages does not get dirty hands

In addition to making a big fuss about efficacy, liquid foundation manufacturers also arrange and combine the functional ingredients in liquid foundation according to the subdivision of use scenarios to meet the different needs of consumers in different scenarios. For example, in terms of time, liquid foundations can be divided into spring and summer and autumn and winter. Liquid foundations in autumn and winter are mainly for moisturizing and moisturizing, and liquid foundations in spring and summer are mainly for matte and long-lasting; in terms of space, for commuting and staying up late and outdoor sports, liquid foundations can nourish the skin. The distinction between makeup and sun protection. 

In addition, the data shows that more and more consumers do not regard “white” as the only pursuit when using liquid foundation, and the color number of liquid foundation shows a trend of diversification. “Generally speaking, a liquid foundation has multiple SKUs depending on the color, which is similar to color makeup.” According to the above engineer, consumers in the same region also have diversified differences in the choice of liquid foundation color numbers. “This is closely related to personal aesthetics.” According to CBNData data, warm-toned liquid foundations that give people a “healthy”, “affinity” and “warm” feeling are increasingly preferred by consumers, among which the sales of natural and wheat-colored liquid foundations are increasing. Significantly, it can be seen that consumers are increasingly rational in the choice of liquid foundation chroma, and their self-awareness is constantly improving.

 It is worth noting that packaging innovation is also an important part of liquid foundation research and development. “Cosmetics News” noted that the common liquid foundation in the market has a capacity of 25-35ml, but a batch of small-package liquid foundation has also emerged, which is also well received by the market. For example, Cating’s first 1ml capacity “secondary liquid foundation” can prevent oxidation and moisture while ensuring lightness and convenience. Another domestic makeup brand, Mao Geping, also launched a variety of liquid foundations in compact and convenient packs to meet the needs of some consumers in small packages. 

In addition, because liquid foundations are mostly bottled or canned, consumers need to use a pump or other container to take out the liquid foundation, and then use hands or beauty tools to color and apply it to the face. During this process, the liquid foundation is easy to contaminate the hands or soil other containers. Therefore, dirty hands or the use of multiple utensils has become a hidden pain point for consumers when taking liquid foundation. In response, Beauty blender Bounce, an American make-up tool brand, has launched a “non-dirty hand foundation”. It is reported that the back of the brand’s liquid foundation shell is grooved, and the switch control and pump head are designed on the front. After pressing, the liquid foundation will fall on the groove, which is convenient for consumers to color or adjust the dosage.

 It is true that in the cosmetics industry, color-oriented makeup is more inclined to the fashion industry, with rich colors and avant-garde designs as the main selling points. However, as the foundation product with the highest threshold in color makeup, liquid foundation is more similar to skin care products. Especially in terms of research and development, the impact of science and technology on liquid foundation is more significant. From the technical research and application of domestic brands on foundation products, whether it is ingredients, formulas or packaging, innovative liquid foundations are rapidly occupying the market.