Makeup meets skincare: actives and formulas

Moisturising or anti-ageing, makeup products with formulas enriched with active ingredients are increasingly in demand, transforming makeup into a moment of care for the skin. At Confalonieri we’ve explored various solutions in this field, for example by enhancing formulas with ceramides or microspheres with hyaluronic acid, but research doesn’t stop. Let’s take a look at how a makeup pencil with active ingredients and skincare-inspired components is created.

Ingredients and barrier

Using high-quality makeup pencils, produced with safe ingredients that comply with regulations, is in itself a form of skincare. Formulas contain oils, butters and waxes rich in lipids, which help improve the appearance of the skin and support its barrier function. Lipids form a kind of film on the skin that helps reduce water loss and protects against external agents, making the skin softer and more elastic.

This initial moisturising effect, however, is not comparable to what we can achieve by incorporating specific actives into the texture.

A matter of chemistry

Creating a balanced formula that contains an active ingredient demands special attention, both in terms of ingredient combinations and processing and usage temperatures. 

Our pencils have anhydrous formulations, so we must always consider liposoluble actives, although in some cases technology allows us to overcome this limitation, as we did with hyaluronic acid.

Heat is another key factor, as many actives degrade at high processing temperatures. For our pencils, we must consider ingredients that can withstand 75 to 80 degrees Celsius. We have adapted our production process to preserve them as effectively as possible: we add actives at the final step right before the bulk is poured, minimising the exposure to heat.

Analysis and testing

To incorporate an active into a formula, our R&D team works through several stages. The process begins with verifying potential interactions between actives, to prevent alterations. We then carry out laboratory testing, to assess compatibility with raw materials and the balance of the formula, and we finish the process with oven and refrigeration tests to check the stability of the pencils.

Which ingredient would you like to include in your private label pencils? Get in touch with us to design the next formula together!