Makeup and skin care have always been closely associated, but these days, it feels like you need to be a dermatology expert to shop the latest cosmetic launches. Skin care in makeup has become more popular than ever, with ingredient buzz words like “peptides,” “niacinamide,” and “hyaluronic acid,” appearing in the product names of lip glosses, blushes, foundations, and concealers.
Looking for the moisturizing benefits of hyaluronic acid? There’s the Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss Lipstick Balm. Want the plumping effect of peptides? There’s the BUXOM Plump Shot Collagen Peptides Plumping Cream Blush and the Rhode Peptide Lip Tint. Or get the best of both worlds with the Biossance Pro-Peptide Hydrating Lip Perfector Balm with Hyaluronic Acid. The list goes on and on.
The “skinification” of makeup makes sense considering skin care is more abundant and lucrative than ever. According to Straits Research, the global skin care products market size was valued at $171.05 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach from $179.24 billion in 2025 to $260.61 billion by 2033, growing at a rate of 4.79%.
Alexis Androulakis, one half of the Lipstick Lesbians and product developer for brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Pat McGrath, Rare Beauty, and more, says trend forecasters have predicted a skin care takeover in makeup since 2018, which was only fueled by the pandemic and the popularity of video-sharing apps like TikTok and Instagram.
Of course, skin care-makeup hybrids like skin tints and tinted moisturizers have existed on the market for a while now, but Androulakis notes that categorical makeup infused with skin care—color cosmetics like lipstick and lipgloss and complexion products like concealer and blush—are new to market and more prevalent than ever.
“It’s a combination of the appetite of the consumer, the education that’s been explosive because of social media, and the pandemic creating the skincare obsession that it did,” says Androulakis. “Suddenly there’s this huge emphasis on ingredients from skin care, it almost makes the most natural progressive sense for marketers to put those very same ingredients that the consumer already recognizes, like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid—that then dovetailed and pushed into color cosmetics.”
With so many makeup brands hopping on the skin care bandwagon, it’s only natural to question the efficacy of the actives in formulas. Is the skinifcation of makeup just a market trend cash grab or truly innovative?
In short, it depends. According to Dr. Georgina Ferzli, MD, director of cosmetic dermatology at Tribeca Medspa, it’s a question of what skin care ingredients are being used.
“Squalene and ceramides and hyaluronic acid are all very moisturizing and very barrier repairing, especially for dry irritated skin in the winter months,” says Dr. Ferzli. “They’re humectants and bind water, so they pair beautifully with makeup. And most people combine makeup with their peptides without even realizing it. If you take your peptide moisturizer and mix a little foundation into it, that’s essentially what you’ve done.”
Androulakis points to the makeup artists-turned brand founders who have launched their own makeup products, many of which feature skin care.
“We think about runway and red carpet makeup—15 years ago, these makeup artists were forced to mix their own skin care into products because these products didn’t exist on the market,” says Androulakis. “So all of those gaps that they found, whether it’s Mario Dedivanovic, Charlotte Tilbury, or Pat McGrath, they all infused what they’ve needed in their products.”
Beyond functionality, however, the actual benefits of skin care in makeup are less effective. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, MD, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, says the dosage of skin care included in makeup is typically too small to achieve results and should not substitute your daily skin care routine.
“Most specialized ingredients require delivery systems that don’t allow cosmetically acceptable make up,” Dr. Zeichner explains. “While these ingredients are included in make up, they often are included at lower concentrations as not to interfere with the aesthetics of the makeup itself.”
Rhode, the skin care brand founded by Hailey Bieber, is one of the leading brands to adopt “peptides” as part of it’s marketing strategy. Rhode entered the color cosmetics category in 2023 with the launch of the Peptide Lip Tint followed by the Pocket Blush. Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, founder of Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery and member of Rhode’s skin care advisory board, says skin care in makeup is a “supplementary benefit.”
“In general, we don’t look at the skin care actives as a primary benefit of makeup,” Dr. Bhanusali says. “If you are applying something on your skin, you want to enhance the benefits the best you can. That said, makeup is meant to sit on top of your skin, so there can be a limit on the efficacy. I like looking at both calming ingredients like niacinamide and ingredients that can maintain hydration like hyaluronic acid and squalane.”
On the flip side, there are some skin care ingredients you’ll want to avoid. Dr. Ferzli recommends steering clear of retinol and vitamin C in makeup.
“Retinol, you should have in your routine for most people, it needs to be effective and it is drying,” she says. “So putting it in makeup makes very little sense because you’re not supposed to be wearing retinol during the day anyway. And the little dose put in makeup would just cause irritation, if anything, because it’s definitely a weaker version of the molecule.”
Regardless, Androulakis says we can expect more and more brands to push the envelope when it comes to skin care in makeup. She hints at innovations coming “in the next few months” using new ingredients like polyglutamic acid.
“Brands used to sprinkle in actives at such a low level that it actually wouldn’t pass a clinical test.” Androulakis says. “But now they’re pushing it to the usage points because customers want to see a result way more than they’ve ever wanted to before. They’re even going as far as clinically testing things, where you will see a brand like Haus Labs using a peptide in a lip product that has clinical testing behind it.”
Dr. Bhanusali has observed the same. “The formulas are much more tricky, as is the testing, but I do see brands evolving in real time and better and better options coming to market soon,” he adds.
One thing for certain? Skin care maximalism is here to stay. “More competition, more brands, more products on the market,” says Androulakis. “People need to get way more creative with how they’re going to bridge the nuances of what makes their products special and different.”
Ariana Yaptangco is the senior beauty editor at Glamour. Follow her @arianayap.
The post Does Skin Care In Makeup Actually Do Anything? appeared first on Glamour.
