How well do skincare and make-up hybrids actually work? Cosmetics that also hydrate skin and manage oiliness save time – we asked beauty experts which brands deliver
- The latest multifunctional formulas help your skin by hydrating and managing oiliness, as well as enhancing your features – some even act as sunscreen too
- Ilia was early to the game, now Youthforia and Supergoop! are building dual-purpose product ranges – celebrity make-up artist Carolina Pizarro Hernandez offers her take on what works and why
Gone are the days when make-up was solely about concealing imperfections and enhancing features. Welcome to the era of make-up hybrids. Today, a new wave of innovative products are gaining traction for a compelling reason: the dual promise of not only improving appearance, but nurturing skin at the same time. To do this they come fortified with a blend of ingredients designed to hydrate parched skin and manage oiliness – simultaneously providing a radiant complexion and simplifying our daily routines.
“Hybrids are a great way to keep up your skin health and get the benefits of skincare ingredients when you may not have the time to do a multi-step routine,” says Los Angeles-based celebrity make-up artist Carolina Pizarro Hernandez, highlighting how many of her clients seeking quick makeovers have reaped the rewards of these dual-action formulations. But the million-dollar question remains: are make-up hybrids truly the multitasking marvels they claim to be?
At their core, they are designed to transcend surface-level beauty. This includes foundations that not only provide coverage but also control excess oil, concealers that target under-eye circles while offering skin treatments, and primers that hydrate and safeguard our skin’s natural barrier.
Fiona Co Chan is the founder and CEO of Youthforia, a brand celebrated for its make-up that also delivers skincare benefits. “On the make-up side, the product still has the nice performance, the nice texture, and the nice make-up effect,” she says, “but it also has skincare ingredients that can help your make-up last longer and help improve your skin.”
Just think back to the sensation caused in 2020 by Ilia’s hydrating and protecting Super Serum Skin Tint, which combines make-up, skincare and sunscreen into one product; or Supergoop’s lightly tinted hydrating primer Glowscreen Sunscreen, boasting SPF 40 protection alongside a pearlescent finish. Amid a surge in demand, these and several other hybrid products have rapidly grown from a passing trend, to a beauty staple.
When it comes to achieving hydration, managing oil and fortifying your skin’s natural barrier, Pizarro suggests that foundations stand out as an ideal option. “Foundations are probably the best make-up hybrids to get,” she says. Hydrating, soothing ingredients can be highly beneficial within this category, while primers and lip products with repairing and nourishing effects “will also be of great help to keep your skin plump and moisturised under your make-up”.
It’s worth noting that hybrids and make-up products formulated with skin-friendly ingredients are not the same. Youthforia uses skincare actives whose effectiveness is supported by clinical study or a peer-reviewed science journal.