Is makeup bad for your skin? This is what I’ve found

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If you’re a glam woman and love to keep your skin on point all the time, I can relate to you 100%. Women are constantly looking for ways to look beautiful, and that starts with the skin. Let’s face it: our skin is the largest organ of our bodies, and is our best accessory. Because of that, we are always concerned about keeping it glowing and healthy at the same time. You may be asking, is makeup bad for your skin? Let me reveal what I found and some research based facts about makeup and skin health.

The truth about makeup

Just as a disclaimer: I’m not here to talk against makeup or be biased about a certain skincare routine, I am just stating some facts about some of these products. I also want to let you know about options to keep your skin healthy, even if you use makeup on a daily basis. Apart from that, you should know that your skin health depends on a lot of factors, besides wearing makeup or not.

The truth is:

Most products you see out there for your skin are not as good as they claim to be. Makeup and other skincare products are loaded with toxic chemicals. Think about this: how many times have you seen skincare labels with tons of ingredients that you can barely recognize? That’s the reason a lot of this is changing recently and why many people are transitioning to a skinimalistic lifestyle. Certain ingredients in common makeup are harsh for the skin. Some of these are parabens, sulfates, alcohol, phthalates and artificial fragrance. The most surprising thing about toxic ingredients in makeup is that they can cause serious damage to your skin, from breakouts, altering your skin moisture, texture to even skin cancer.

This happens a lot with makeup that’s cheap and even with expensive brands. Because of this, I decided to go for a non-toxic ingredient lifestyle. If you have heard about the clean beauty lifestyle, you’ll probably know what I’m referring to. Clean beauty involves choosing natural, organic, plant-based products that are gentle and nourishing to the skin. Everyday there are more makeup brands that are using this concept to create more eco-friendly and healthier products for your skin. Learn more about clean beauty skincare and how it changed my skin health for the better below.

Is makeup bad for your skin? Some possible side effects

Clogged pores

One of the most common effects of using too much or poor makeup is clogged pores. Your skin is your main body’s barrier, so it needs to breathe and eliminate toxins. If your skin is clogged with harsh materials in makeup, this can cause excess oil in your skin and other toxins to build up. This is why you may have those uggly breakouts from time to time.

Is makeup bad for your skin? It can cause dry or oily skin

Another thing that can happen when using makeup is a change in your skin’s oil/moisture balance. This is true especially when you use products that are not for your skin type. For instance, if your skin is usually dry and sensitive, but you choose makeup that’s made for oily skin, then those ingredients can be too harsh and cause a reverse effect.

Premature aging

If you’re wondering how to get rid of those sudden fine lines or wrinkles around your eyes, you may want to start looking at your makeup and skincare products. Some of the harsh ingredients in makeup can cause your skin to age faster. Then, you’ll start seeing some signs like wrinkles, eye bags, and open pores, just to mention a few.

Is makeup bad for your skin?It may cause breakouts

This is another common effect of wearing cheap makeup, or using products that are not meant for your skin type. Breakouts appear because you either wear too much makeup, it’s full of toxic ingredients, or you may have a poor skincare routine after wearing makeup. Having breakouts is usually a result of clogged pores, and you have oil build up inside your skin.

Skin allergies

If you’ve noticed a sudden rash in your skin, or itching, it is because something you put on your skin is not a good fit. In this case, your makeup could be the problem. Also, makeup allergies can reflect in your eyes. Swollen, reddened or irritated eyes could be signs that you’ll need to change that mascara or eyeliner.

Color changes

If you’re suddenly seeing some dark spots in your skin out of nowhere, you may want to look at your makeup. Discoloration could be a sign of irritated skin, or even more damage. Evidence shows that toxins in your skin (free radicals) can weaken the collagen and lead to changes in skin color. This happens a lot when you sleep with your makeup on as well.

Infections

Using bad makeup or having poor skincare habits can cause your skin to develop infections. This is very common especially around the eye area. The skin close to your eyes is very thin and delicate. It’s very easy to irritate this skin with the ingredients in makeup. So, constant irritations there can become infections.

Is makeup bad for your skin? It may increase risk of cancer

Skin cancer is very common these days. In fact, it’s one of the largest types of cancer around the world. Even though there isn’t direct evidence between makeup and skin cancer, certain ingredients in these types of products like formaldehyde, coal tar, arsenic, silica and chromium are known to be carcinogenic.

Is makeup bad for your skin? How to prevent damage

The truth is, you don’t have to ditch out makeup all together if you don’t want to. You can still wear makeup and keep your skin healthy. But there are some basic principles you should follow if you want to prevent skin damage. So, here are my top recommendations of makeup do’s and don’ts that will save your skin health.

Do a makeup bag clean up! Don’t use expired products

Using expired makeup to save money? This is a big No-no! Keeping products in your makeup bag beyond expiry date will only cause more damage to your skin and lead to irritation. Also,keep an eye on the brushes. Clean them frequently and discard used pads and sponges.

Choose makeup according to your skin type

This is also true if you want to keep your skin healthy. Always make sure that you’re using the right products for your skin type. That way your skin can be properly hydrated and prevent any excess buildup.

Go makeup free some days

Why not? The more natural, the better right? As a matter of fact, this year’s biggest beauty trend is to wear little to no makeup. This helps you to embrace your skin’s natural beauty and get rid of insecurities. Besides that, the most important thing is that your skin will breathe!

Choose more natural makeup often

Also, one thing that helps is using less makeup products or going for a more natural look. I personally love my skin tone and how it glows. I prefer just going for a lightweight foundation, a translucent powder and to enhance my eyes with a little eyeliner and mascara. For my lips, I simply go for a nude look or sheer lip gloss.

Using non-toxic ingredients brands is a big win for your skin

Clean beauty brands are here to stay! I highly recommend using makeup products that are natural and free of damaging chemicals. My favorite makeup line is The Detox Market. I love that they are a clean beauty brand, with ingredients that are non-toxic, natural, lightweight and moisturizing for my skin. Get a 10% discount off your order by going to their store below.

Don’t sleep with makeup on

This should sound like a no-brainer, but sometimes it’s easy to forget how important it is to remove your makeup. If it stays on for more than 8 hours, it can start causing more damage to your skin and keeping the toxins clogged. Therefore, make sure you remove all makeup before bed time.

Have a clear skincare routine

Using a good skincare routine is essential for your skin’s health. Especially if you wear makeup, you want to make sure it’s clean, moisturized and protected. My skincare routine always includes cleansing, exfoliating, deep nourishing, moisturizing and protecting with sunscreen. You can learn more about my morning routine in this article. I am also using The Detox Market skincare routine and I totally love the results on my skin. As a clean beauty skincare product, this routine has helped to reveal a more glowing skin, remove breakouts and avoid premature aging. They also have a 10% discount on their skincare products. Head over below to learn more.

Finally,

So, to answer your question: is makeup bad for your skin? The answer is it depends. The fact that makeup could have toxic ingredients that are harsh for your skin doesn’t mean that you should not wear makeup at all. But in my opinion and based on my experience, less is more when it comes to makeup. That means that the more natural products you use on your skin and the better care you take of it, the healthier your skin will be in the long run. Do you need to make changes in your makeup bag? What is your current skincare routine? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.