pH-adapting cosmetics are all the rage on TikTok. We spoke with an industry expert to find out exactly how colour-changing makeup works.
1970s, ’80s and ’90s kids will recall that there was nothing more electrifying than the novelty of slipping on their mood ring each morning and watching its stone change hues before their very eyes. Today, Gen Z has discovered the wonder of colour-changing products via makeup — an extension of the customization trend that has permeated the beauty industry over the past several years. Colour-changing makeup products (typically lipstick and blush) are pH-activated and powered by a chemical reaction between the product’s ingredients and the wearer’s skin. What could be more customized than that?
RELATED: The Spring 2023 Beauty Trends to Wear Now
“pH is the measure of how acidic an environment is,” explains Alessandro Mendes, vice-president of research and innovation at Cosmetica Laboratories Inc. in Toronto. The level of acidity in anything, from our skin to a swimming pool, can be determined using the scientific scale of pH, which ranges from 0 to 14 (with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most basic). Healthy skin naturally stabilizes around the 5 to 5.5 mark.
What causes the colour-changing phenomenon in makeup products is the interaction between skin and an ingredient called bromo acid dye, a type of pigment commonly used in these products. The pH level of the skin that this dye is exposed to upon application determines the shade.
What causes the colour-changing phenomenon in makeup products is the interaction between skin and an ingredient called bromo acid dye.
“When you have a product that looks transparent or translucent in its packaging, for instance, it means that the level of pigment we can see with our eyes is very low,” says Mendes. “The reason we don’t see it until it’s applied is that the pH of the product is higher than the skin’s…
Read the full article here
