Powder

Lays down color dry and soaks up oil, so it finishes a base rather than starting one.

Also called: pressed powder, loose powder

Measurement

Open-jar symbol often reads 12M to 24M

Powder

At a glance
Part of	Formulation
Measures	Open-jar symbol often reads 12M to 24M
Applies to	Makeup, Hair Care, Beauty Tools & Brushes
Synonyms	pressed powder, loose powder

The basics

What to know about powder

Powder combines pigment with absorbent fillers such as silica, starch, mica or kaolin clay, which take up oil as they sit. Pressed powder is that blend compacted into a pan with a binder, so it travels in a bag and touches up without spilling. Loose powder stays uncompressed, which is why it blurs the finest and why a light hand matters. A loaded brush drops far more than skin can take.

Grip decides the result. Over a liquid or cream base, powder fuses with the film underneath and locks it for hours. Over bare dry skin it has nothing to bind to, so it sits on the surface and settles into every flake and line. Press it in with a puff where you want it to last. Sweep it with a brush where you only want a veil, then stop. Past two passes, powder starts reading as makeup rather than as skin.

Longevity on the shelf is the reward. With no water in the formula, powder needs little preservative. It often carries an 18 to 24 month period after opening, longer than any liquid in the same line. Watch two things anyway. Powders containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide bounce camera flash and can leave a white cast in photographs, so test under a flash before an event. Airport security also treats powders above 12 ounces as a separate screening item in carry-on baggage.

In photos

Powder on real products

See this option on different products. Open a photo for a larger view, or select the name to read its guide.

01
Hair Care
02
Beauty Tools & Brushes

Best for

When it works well

Oily skin benefits most, because the fillers keep absorbing sebum through the day instead of letting it float the base.
Setting a liquid base is the core job, as a thin dust over the T-zone stops foundation moving for hours.
Midday touch-ups suit pressed formats, since you can blot and re-cover in one step with the mirror in the lid.
Photography under lights favors powder, as reflected light on the forehead and nose reads as a bright patch on camera.

Used with

Products that use powder

Compare

Powder compared with every option

What physical form does the product take? Every option in formulation, drawn to the same scale. You are reading powder.

01
LiquidOpen-jar symbol often reads 6M to 12M
Pours thin and blends before it sets, which is why most foundations and tints take this form.
02
CreamOpen-jar symbol often reads 6M to 12M
Cushions dry skin with a thick oil and water blend that absorbs slowly.
03
GelOpen-jar symbol often reads 6M to 12M
Absorbs in seconds and layers without weight because water carries most of the formula.
This entry
04
PowderOpen-jar symbol often reads 12M to 24M
Lays down color dry and soaks up oil, so it finishes a base rather than starting one.
05
StickOpen-jar symbol often reads 12M to 24M
Twists up solid and goes on straight from the bullet, with no brush and no spill.
06
SerumOpen-jar symbol often reads 3M to 12M
Delivers a high dose of actives in a thin fluid that goes on before anything heavier.