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’s response:
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:
If our guess is right 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.
Has your foundation ever made your face look too white? Leave a comment and share your experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I have a makeup artist friend that has done makeup for things like weddings and fashion shows. He’s always told me to skin makeup with built-in sunblock when I know there’ll be photographs because of the titanium dioxide in them.
I have a photographer friend who also said that makeup with sunblock would make my face look weird in photographs. I used a sunblock and let that soak in and then put makeup on over that and didn’t seem to have any issues but I’m super fair.
It’s not my foundation that makes me look white in photos, it’s my skin. Even with out makeup on I still look ghostly washed out in flash photography with indoor lighting. Natural sunlight is the best way to beat this, but sunny days have been few and far between.
I’m rather surprised that you’ve never heard of this issue before. I have the same problem. My face is always a bit lighter when photographed with flash. I always figured that the flash reflected differently off the make up or something, I didn’t ever know it was due to a certain ingredient. This is helpful advice.
I always thought I was just wearing too much makeup.
over the summer i went to atlantic city, n.j. and we stayed in this fantastic suite…we took some pics and i looked like i was trying out to be a male geisha…i was using procyte ti-silc spf 60. a pretty nice product, especially if you have dry skin. when i saw my ghastly/ghostly face in the photos i instantly knew it was the danged titanium dioxide!!
Stargirl – I’m with you.
I am super surprised the BB haven’t heard of this before. Yes, sunscreen can plays it part in creating a white ‘bloom’ in photos, but only if it contains mineral sunscreens such as titanium dioxide (and zinc oxide also I pressume). So, sunscreen with only chemical actives won’t create the same ghostly look, since they don’t reflect light like the mineral ingredients do. I often use an avobenzone-based sunscreen, and apart from some shine, there’s no flashback.
I believe makeup reflects light, whereas bare skin absorbs it. So in photos, faces often look lighter, and the un-made-up body looks excessively tanned.
As a makeup artist (and wedding season is in full swing here in New Zealand), my #1 concern with foundation is creating – not a perfect colour match – but applying foundation a shade darker so on camera it doesn’t look ghostly.
Then to add to that, powdering down the neck/decolletage to the neckline and sometimes even the shoulder tops so create a seamless (and even, on camera) finish.
I just got some wedding pics from a happy customer and the face/neck colour combo was the first thing I checked. Success!
Oh, and the foundations I use mostly do not contain sunscreen…but of course do contain talc.
Feel free to look me up online to view my makeup portfolio for yourself. xx
If you’re going to be photographed using flash photography, putting foundation on all exposed skin (which might include your chest and neck) is your best bet if your foundation contains sunscreen. Even celebrities fall victim to this on the red carpet from time to time.
I have noticed this effect after I started using mineral make up. As most of them have a sun screen now I know why I look so ghostly in photos. Thank you for cleaeing that up!
I have searched High and low for the answer…thanks to my friends in both the makeup and chemical engineering dept at the university I work for the reason is two main things that are found in foundation: SPF (sunscreen) and any chemical added that provides “shimmer”, “sheen”, “glow” or anything of that nature. Reason is that a chemical in spf does reflect light (i.e. UV rays and photo flash) same rule applies with shimmers and glows. They provide light reflection in order for you to shine or shimmer and when a flash bulb hits that it reflects back and amplified!!!! Look for matte products with no spf. Make up forever has an HD foundation with great coverage and no SPF for that reason.
Yeah, you know what? I’d rather have a “mime face” then skin cancer. I try to avoid having my picture taken at all costs anyway.
jami, you are hilarious and a very smart too! i agree with you and a lot of your comments =D
i think that for everyday, it is good to wear mineral cosmetics with titanium dioxide in order to protect your skin. if you don’t wear sunscreen just to look good in photos, you are only making your skin appear to look good, but damaging the actual skin underneath, as UV rays from the sun can cause damage to our skin and make us look older, wrinkly, age-spotty, etc…so we will need even MORE makeup to cover them up!
i found that titanium dioxide in cosmetics looks natural on your face, does not irritate the skin, and looks fine even in direct sunlight. but if you KNOW that you will be taking photographs that day or you’re going out at night, sick to cosmetics that do not contain sunscreen in them. that’s my rule of thumb. =)
OMG! Thanks guys for clearing this up! I always thought I looked normal in the mirror when I was doing my make up and then come the photos when I look like I’m a dressed up drama artiste! Confused the hell out of me. Had my husband begging me not to try make up on!
Now I’ll try one without the Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide in it!