Many people feel that applying foundation will ruin their skin. It’s easy to see why people would be concerned. Afterall, not many people are comfortable with putting things on their face if they are not 100% sure what it is they are getting into.

It is difficult to provide a solid “Yes” or “No” answer to this question. This is because the effects of foundation on your skin depends on a couple of things:

1) Your Foundation Ingredients – certain ingredients in your foundation may irritate your skin, causing redness and other skin complications. Just because a certain foundation works for your friend, doesn’t mean that the same foundation will work for you. Knowing your own skin type is essential and will help you select the right products.

For example, did you know that essential oils in some foundations may cause irritations? Even organic ingredients may cause irritation if its not right for your skin Judy Johnson at getthegloss.com provides great pointers on exactly which ingredents you should avoid.

2) The Brand of The Foundation – Do research and choose a brand that you trust. Popular brands like Mac may be all the rage these days. Although this is a good hint that Mac foundations will generally work for most people (given they select the right foundation to use), it is still up to you to do your own due diligence. Bigger brands put more research into making their products. They use better methods to source their ingredients. For example, two foundations may have the same ingredients on their labels, but what makes one foundation better than the other is how the manufacturer puts the ingredients together and where they are sourcing the ingredients from. Poor quality ingredients will damage your skin.

3) The Type of Foundation – I have created many posts on selecting different types of foundations. The general rule of thumb is that:

– If you have oily skin, use a powder foundation.

– If you have combination skin, use an oil-free foundation.

– If you have dry skin, use a foundation with hyaluronic acid.

Selecting the right type of foundation for your skin is absolutely essential and will keep it healthy. If you still feel uncomfortable and feels that the foundation you are using might be clogging your pores. You could try to switch to a non-comedogenic one as these are designed specially to prevent pores from clogging. 

As you can see in the 3 points above, using foundation makeup doesn’t automatically mean that it will ruin your skin. In fact, if you select the right foundation, it can protect your skin. This is because foundations provide a barrier between your skin and the harmful UV rays of the sun.