Prior to the popularity of mineral makeup, larger companies cared more about performance rather than skin benefits, according to brand founder Josephine Carbone.
The category’s boom, reportedly in the mid-2000s, created the need for cosmetics companies to reconsider the ingredients that they are formulating their products with.
“Mineral makeup has evolved and been so popular that larger companies have to really be smarter about their formulations. It’s still performance-based, but they are now using ingredients that will nourish, heal and hydrate the skin, which is so much more beneficial.
“There are a lot of people out there with sensitive skin who couldn’t wear makeup but now can. I think many of the big companies have been hearing good things about nourishing the skin and protecting the skin barrier. It’s great that the industry’s changing and in leaps and bounds, where they are now really focusing on ingredients that consumers already know and that have clinical studies to prove they do work on the skin,” she told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.
Nevertheless, she noted that there are companies that are simply following trends, although these firms usually “do not last very long”.
“It’s good to have trendy products. But the thing is you want people to use and wear your makeup forever. We have so many customers who don’t just purchase one foundation from us; they buy two or three at a time. I think the reason why we’ve been around for over 15 years is the fact that our customers are very loyal to us and they trust that the next product we launch is going to be as good as what we made prior.
“I see a lot of brands that are just marketing online and they’ve got a huge budget for it, but you really have to think about how much money they actually spend on product development. And that’s where we put our funds into — developing products and growing our brand. You won’t see us being advertised everywhere because we are focused on the science, and making sure that the ingredients and our formulations are good for every skin type and also safe for sensitive skin.”
Functional formulations
Over the past few years, InClinic Cosmetics has been delving into functional formulations.
“What I mean by functional is having an ingredients content that is actually going to support the skin barrier, rather than just putting less than 1% in a formulation to say, ‘yes, we’ve got hyaluronic acid in there’, which is not really going to change anything for the skin.
“We’re also blending more advanced pigments, such as coated pigments, and using emulsions that are lightweight but provide good coverage. What makes emulsions beautiful is that they can be added to a formula, especially a liquid one, that performs very well on the skin.
“Compared to creams, serums are better for the skin because their molecular structure enables the ingredients to penetrate much deeper. That’s the same with makeup. When formulating makeup, a thinner texture enables us to include active ingredients that can penetrate a lot better than a cream formula. That’s why our Active Glow (Mineral Liquid Foundation) is really popular,” Carbone said.
The brand recently launched a spin-off of its hero product, which has the functions of both an eye serum and a concealer.
Called Active Cover Concealer and designed specifically for the under-eye area, it not only claims to provide full coverage but also help in reducing dark circles and puffiness, correcting discolouration, and improving crow’s feet.
“There’s been a lot of talk about glass skin and natural-looking makeup, which has been the case in Australia for a long time. We’ve got a beautiful foundation that mimics your own skin, so you can wear it without looking like you put on a lot of makeup.
“[Australia is] very different compared to the US, for example. Americans love to look like they are wearing makeup, whereas Australians like to look as if they are not.”
While the brand is “always looking to innovate newer products”, the process usually takes at least two years.
“I can’t divulge too much, but there are a couple of exciting things that are in the midst of development. We launched a few new products last year, and we’ve got some new eyebrow pencils, which are eyebrow editors, coming out soon.”
