If there’s one aspect of at-home skincare that’s sure to bring out your inner beauty nerd, it’s the ability to mix up your own to order.
Be it a foaming cleanser, an enzymatic exfoliator or treatments such as multi-tasker niacinamide, powdered formats, designed to be swirled up into lathers and lotions via the bathroom tap (or occasionally your other skincare picks), offer efficacy teamed with a touch of playfulness.
“You have more control with powder formulas,” enthuses Falkirk and London-based facialist Nicola Russell, who has perked up the complexions of Minnie Driver and Lisa Snowdon and is industry-renowned as the Skin Geek. “They often contain a higher concentration of active ingredients, so are perfect if you like to customise your skincare as the amount of water you add will determine both the strength of the product and the texture. Another important benefit - especially in these times - is that they require less energy and resources to produce due to the lack of water. That lack of water also eliminates a breeding ground for bacteria, so products have a longer shelf life.”
Powders also offer versatility in the range of ingredients they can carry, such as microfine granules and enzymatic proteins - both brilliant for sloughing off dead skin cells - as well as purifying clays and antioxidant vitamin C, which tackles pigmentation and boosts collagen production. “For me, the best ingredient that lends itself to a powdered formula is Vitamin C,” says Nicola. “It’s a volatile ingredient, hard to stabilise in liquid and starts to deteriorate after being bottled, so its best form is definitely powder.” Yet another benefit is their portability: no chance of arriving at your travel destination with gloopy, spilt lotions covering clothes due to a leaky skincare bottle.
Far from being messy or complicated, with the right know-how, acting as your own skincare mixologist is safer than the multi-layering approach many of us have adopted towards active ingredients in serums and creams, which can increase sensitivity and disrupt the skin’s protective barrier. It’s also easier. “I’m a ‘mix it with your hands’ person - the less clutter in my bathroom the better,” adds Nicola. “Most products are designed to apply straight into your hands, ready to add a few splashes of water as people want simple, easy steps in their routine. Instructions usually describe the consistency you are looking to achieve by adding water, so it may be trial and error to begin with. However, it’s not a complete fail if you don’t get that correct initially. Not adding enough water to a cleansing product, for example, will achieve a more exfoliating effect; too much water and it’s gentler on the skin.” Want to create a more indulgent experience? A small dish and mixing brush will elevate your mixing session, no Bunsen burner or goggles required.
Read on to discover our favourite powdered skincare products…
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N°1 De Chanel Powder-to-Foam Cleanser
Part of Chanel’s super-sensorial N°1 collection, this microfine powder is perfect for a morning refresh or a light second cleanse in the evening once you’ve removed makeup. Just a penny-sized amount is needed to create a light lather rather than full-on foam and if you’ve already wet your face with your hands and there’s a little water left on them, it’s enough to dissolve the powder in seconds.
Rich in red camellia oil which helps smooth, soften and revitalise skin, the lather is gentle and won’t leave the complexion feeling tight or uncomfortable, but rather clean and satiny. Fittingly for Chanel, little details are beautifully thought through too: the delicate scent is elegantly sophisticated while the chic packaging includes a flat lid that rotates open with a twist.
Buy now £42.00, Chanel
Monday Muse The Powder
Golden yellow thanks to the inclusion of anti-inflammatory, healing and anti-pigmentation turmeric, this exfoliator is aimed at those who, like brand creator Lune Martens, have suffered from skin issues and need a formula that’s effective but gentle enough if you’re prone to acne or eczema. Don’t expect foam or granules: instead, the powder uses enzymes to break down bonds between dead skin cells so they can be sloughed away without any irritation, while colloidal oatmeal soothes sensitivity and zinc helps balance sebum production.
Used up to four times a week, a berry amount mixed with warm water and massaged onto dry skin for 30 to 40 seconds will leave it feeling smooth and looking fresh. If the paste feels like it’s drying out as you work it in, just wet your fingertips again to get the slip back or leave on for a few minutes to transform it into an intensive mask.
Buy now £45.00, Monday Muse
The Ordinary 100 per cent Niacinamide Powder
Niacinamide is one of beauty’s buzziest ingredients right now thanks to its multi-pronged rewards for all skin types, so this leave-on treatment will add another layer of benefits to the serum or moisturiser you add it to.
Mix a quarter of a scoop into a water-based product such as a hyaluronic acid serum twice a day (it won’t mix with oil as niacinamide is only water soluble) and apply as normal to infuse the brilliant brightening, toning, mattifying and anti-redness effects of niacinamide into your elected skincare carrier. And don’t be fooled by the deceptively tiny scoop size. Overdo it and you’ll get a grainy finish, whereas the recommended amount easily dissolves to leave a smooth feel. It also means you get a huge bang for your buck.
Buy now £5.70, The Ordinary
Sand & Sky Enzyme Polish
To dial up the radiance levels of your complexion in a fast 15 seconds, this enzyme powder polish gets skin noticeably glowing from the first use. Twice weekly, pour out half a teaspoon and mix with a few drops of water until it starts to lather up, turning from white to pink (it can be blended into their brightening vitamin C serum too).
The result is a soft foam with a silky texture, so it’s easy to massage in as you feel the tiny granules of exfoliating papaya fruit enzymes and brightening, antioxidant berry extracts disappear. Added soothing plum extracts and nourishing oils including jojoba ensure skin looks even, feels plump and is more refined afterwards too.
Buy now £34.00, lookfantastic
Tatcha Rice Polish Deep
Within the range inspired by Japanese rituals and the traditional beauty benefits of using rice, Tatcha has three super-smoothing powder polishes, each delicate enough to use daily but formulated for different skin types. The Deep variant is ideal for oilier and combination complexions as, alongside the finely-milled rice grains that buff skin soft, it contains protective antioxidant wild rose extracts to help restore balance and minimise the look of pores.
More exfoliation benefits come from clarifying papaya extract, while the brand’s own unique blend of green tea, algae and fermented rice also helps resurface skin texture thanks to AHAs. It boosts a healthy appearance too. You’ll only need to pour out a 1p-sized amount of the minty green powder (through a sleek, no-spill nozzle) to mix with a few drops of water. The more you massage on, the richer the milky foam becomes, leaving your face with a satin finish on rinsing.
Buy now £64.00, Tatcha
Clinique Fresh Pressed Renewing Powder Cleanser with Pure Vitamin C
The single-dose sachets for this powder cleanser ensure no waste (in fact, it’s such a generous serving you could probably get two uses from each if you only need a light cleanse), which means it couldn’t be easier to pack for overnight or longer. Used in the morning, the infusion of fresh vitamin C gives skin a hit of protective antioxidants and the intensive brightening benefits come when you leave it on.
Clinique recommends one minute but we’ve found you can let it sit on your skin for a bit longer, so it’s perfect for achieving a radiance boost while you brush your teeth. Adding water works the powder up into a luxurious, almost creamy texture that becomes more translucent when left on for a few minutes and imparts a light, fizzy tingle when washed off. Suited to any skin type that wants to look fresher and brighter, each box contains 28 sachets.
Buy now £30.00, Clinique
Omnilux Enzyme Powder Cleanser
This is part of the capsule skincare collection created by world-leading aesthetic doctor Dr Hany Abi Ghosn, to use before LED light therapy treatments including the Omnilux at-home range. This cleanser fuses together green tea, rice powder and papaya extract for a double exfoliating whammy, acting both physically and enzymatically so the LED doesn’t have to work its way through a layer of dead skin cells.
But the formula is gentle enough to use daily and will quickly improve the tone and texture of any skin type. It also doubles as an intensive mask if your complexion is feeling particularly tired or looking lacklustre – use less water so the powder becomes a slightly thicker paste and let it settle on the skin for a few minutes before you rinse away for a fresher, softer finish.
Buy now £37.51, DermacareDirect
Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore-Minimising & Polishing Powder
A fantastic multitasker and customisable formula, this purifying powder offers intensive, health-boosting benefits to combination and oilier complexions. It ticks multiple green boxes too, using 98 per cent less water than their other cleansers and made with 96 per cent renewable ingredients, including sustainably sourced and fairly traded white clay from the Amazon.
This clay instantly soaks up excess oil and impurities that can contribute to blocked pores and breakouts, while cellulose grains gently slough away any build-up of dirt and debris. Use on damp skin for a twice-daily deep cleanse, or for a more intensive exfoliating effect, lightly massage onto a dry face twice a week. When applied this way, the granules won’t dissolve quite as much so the buffing benefits are ramped up.
Buy now £32.00, Kiehl’s
Dr Sturm Enzyme Cleanser
This two-in-one cleanser and exfoliator is punchy enough to remove the remnants of makeup but still gentle enough that it won’t irritate sensitive complexions. If your skin is particularly oily or acne-prone, try using the powder daily; if not, this is a brilliant deep cleaning and refining treatment that you can add to your routine up to three times a week.
A few drops of water mixed into a penny-sized amount between your palms will create a light but luxurious-feeling foam that sweeps away dirt, sebum and other impurities as the enzymes gobble up dead cells to smooth and refresh the complexion while vitamin C boosts luminosity. Skin feels superbly clean but not tight afterwards with a silky soft finish.
Buy now £55.00, Dr Sturm
Skin Proud Glow Dust Exfoliating Powder Cleanser
Formulated to use instead of - or mixed into - your regular cleanser two or three mornings a week, this powdered exfoliator is packed with a wealth of brightening, refining and protective goodies. Applied to dry skin but mixed with water in wet hands, the microfine granules have enough structure to effectively slough away dulling dead cells, but quickly disperse into a light, milky texture so skin feels soft and clean rather than scrubbed.
Pineapple adds more enzymatic smoothing action as vitamins C and E plus liquorice and ferulic acid work in harmony to make the complexion more luminous and even-toned while also infusing it with a healthy dose of antioxidants to help prevent ageing free radical damage. The cleverly designed salt shaker dispenser will ensure you don’t tip out too much, plus the peach packaging brightens up the bathroom.
Buy now £13.95, Skin Proud
Verdict
From the ultra-sleek packaging design to the kind of sophisticated scent you’d expect from a world-leading perfume house and the cleanser in between, Chanel’s N°1 De Chanel Powder-to-Foam Cleanser takes washing your face to another level. The powder is light as air and dissolves beautifully while the benefits it brings to any complexion are renewed freshness and softness from even a delicate sweep over the skin. It doesn’t take much of the powder to create a silky lather and the addition of red camellia oil - a signature ingredient in their skincare - makes the formula and the finish feel all the more luxurious.
