There’s a new beauty multitasker in town: the skin tint.
With a lighter formula than foundations and BB creams, skin tints are an evolution of the tinted moisturizers of the past doing double duty. “During the pandemic, we saw consumers begin to focus on skin care and wellness. This trend of ‘skinification’ has pushed the cosmetic industry to invest in technologies that are merging skin care with makeup,” says Sonal Kamath, a cosmetic chemist and professor of cosmetic science at Seneca Polytechnic.
Toronto makeup artist Lucky Bromhead’s makeup kit always has some form of skin tint in it. “They gently balance the skin tone and give it a healthy appearance that is basically unclockable,” she says, adding that they’re the perfect choice for people who aren’t used to wearing makeup – or don’t want to look like they’re wearing makeup. Bromhead, who was the personal makeup artist for Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy on Schitt’s Creek, considers skin tints suitable for all ages and skin types, and counts Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint among her favourite formulas.
With many skin tints promising to deliver an uptick in radiance, luminosity or glow, moisturizing ingredients still play a key role. The use of hyaluronic acid, which is touted for being able to attract and hold a thousand times its weight in water, is popular. “Specialty ingredients, such as shea butter esters, are also being used. These naturally derived emollients soften the skin, giving it a supple and youthful appearance,” says Kamath, who looks for products with light emollients such as squalane, caprylic/capric triglyceride, or isoamyl laurate in her own routine.
Timesaving is another benefit. “Addressing multiple needs in one step makes skin tints attractive to anyone who feels pressed for time. They help decrease the number of steps required in one’s daily skin-care routine,” Kamath says.
The ultrasheer, flexible nature of these formulas is user-friendly so choosing your correct shade is straightforward. “For summer, I love to choose a shade that is a teeny bit darker than the skin is naturally and blend it over the face and jawline. It gives the skin a slightly sun-kissed, vacation-rested look,” says Bromhead.
Apply a skin tint after sunscreen, using your fingers or a fluffy foundation brush. “Forego the beauty blender as most tint formulations are quite moist and the sponge will hang on to too much,” says Bromhead. “Apply the tint sheerly everywhere on the face, then only apply concealer if and where needed, and blend well,” she says. “Less really is more.”
Buying guide: Six skin tints to try
Whether you want to splurge or save, you’ll find a skin tint that matches your skin tone and your budget.
Pigment capsules that evenly disperse are suspended in a lightweight gel that contains 0.5 per cent bakuchiol (an antioxidant ingredient from the Psoralea corylifolia plant) to plump and firm skin, plus tranexamic acid (derived from lysine, an amino acid) which helps fade dark spots.
COVERGIRL Simply Ageless Skin Perfector Essence Foundation, $28, Shoppers Drug Mart
This product evens out a skin tone with light-reflecting particles, while a blend of hyaluronic acid, shea butter, squalane (a lightweight plant-based emollient shown to have anti-inflammatory properties) and vitamin E help to deeply hydrate.
M.A.C. Cosmetics Strobe Dewy Skin Tint, $49, maccosmetics.ca
Claiming to deliver the effect of a ring light (that glowing circular device used by social-media influencers during filming), this hydrating stick can be used to build coverage from sheer to light while smoothing a complexion.
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick, $58, charlottetilbury.com
An award-winner made in 30 shades, this light-coverage fluid has niacinamide, squalane and hyaluronic acid and touts the protection of zinc oxide (a mineral sunscreen ingredient).
Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, $65, iliabeauty.com
Infused with hyaluronic acid to immediately hydrate, this lightweight tinted serum also contains an antioxidant blend with vitamin C to even out a skin tone in as little as four weeks.
Revlon Illuminance Serum Tint, $21, walmart.ca
Available in 25 shades, this creamy stick with murumuru seed butter (a vegetable fat that helps keep skin moisturized) and caprylic/capric triglyceride (derived from coconut oil and glycerin) provides buildable, blurring coverage that’s long-wearing.
Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Eaze Drop Stick Blur + Smooth Tint Stick Foundation, $49, sephora.com