Calamine Lotion As Makeup Primer?

Makeup

Jul 27

Ahhh yes, another viral TikTok skincare trend. As I write this, there are over 20 million hashtag uses!

The thought behind using calamine lotion as a makeup primer is that it mattifies oily skin, pores temporality appear smaller, and foundation lasts all day. Sounds delightful for oily skin, right?

First, let's take a peek at the main ingredients and their functions, shall we?

Ingredients:

Zinc oxide - acts as an astringent
Ferric oxide (aka iron oxide) - stops itching; also what gives calamine lotion its pink color.
Phenol - An exfoliant
Bentonite - A clay that functions as a stabilizing and suspending agent and absorbs oil.

All these ingredients are excellent in their own right, but when combined, this formula is super astringent and drying. Hence it's created for drying out bug bites, poison oak/ivy, etc.

As for using it as a makeup primer, there are only short-term benefits. When used all over the face and long-term, it can cause excessive drying, dehydration, and irritation and potentially make fine lines appear more prominent. And if you're dealing with pigmented acne scaring, it can make it hang out for even longer.

So, with thousands of super affordable and effective makeup primers on the market, smearing bug bite lotion on your face isn't something I would recommend. As always, I provide the info so you can make informed decisions for yourself!