Karina’s Question: Could you please tell me what the ingredient is in foundation that makes your face look much whiter in photos?!?! Is it just one ingredient, or a combination? Could you recommend any brands which don’t do this? Thanks.
The Right Brain Responds:
Karina, we’ve never heard of this problem before, but we can make an educated guess about what’s happening.
Flashback from sunblock
One common ingredient in foundations is titanium dioxide. It’s very opaque and so it’s good at concealing skin flaws. But it’s also good at scattering light rays. In fact, it’s used as a sunblock for this very reason. (For example, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Make up contains 2% titanium dioxide.)
So, our guess is that the brand you’re using has more titanium dioxide that’s reflecting a lot of white light which shows up in your photographs. Of course, it’s also possible that talc or one of the other white powders in the formula could be causing the problem too. There’s no way to be sure without testing.
The Beauty Brain’s Bottom Line:
It’s just a guess, but you could try looking for foundations that do NOT have titanium dioxide on the ingredient list. We can’t recommend any specific brands, but you can check the ingredients on Drugstore.com.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have had this before also. Napoleon Perdis foundation is special photographic makeup, and does not contain this ingredient.
Anything with SPF will make your face look white in photos, especially if a flash is used.
After buying all sorts of cosmetic brands from super expensive to budget,
trial and error and thousands of dollars invested says; it is the titanium dioxide that causes the skin to go that strange whitish look. In pictures it even more noticeable. On women of color it’s super unattractive.
Major reshoots or lots of retouching is needed.