Workout Makeup or athleisure makeup is the new weapon for ‘workout friendly’ cosmetics. The question is, how much does it empower a healthy lifestyle and how much it is pure marketing?
Following a recent collaboration between Maybelline, a leading makeup brand, and the sports brand Puma, a new limited range of high-performance beauty cosmetics with an accent on athleisure was launched.
The supermodel Adriana Lima was chosen as the brand ambassador. Soon, the collection’s staples such as mascara and lipstick became a huge hit amongst teenagers interested in fitness and looking good at the same time.
It is worth noting that the L’Oréal owned, Maybelline is not the first company to launch workouts makeups targeted at the younger generation.
Wet n’ Wild already has a collection of over 30 makeups designed just for workouts. The brand ambassador is a fitness expert, Cassey Ho, which adds to the perceived fitness value of the products.
In the age of social media, Instagram and Snapchat selfies, the new norm is ‘always look perfect’ even while working out.
Workout-Proof VS Sweat-Proof
However, despite the trends, dermatologists and fitness experts insist that it is critical to remove makeup before exercising. Regardless of what is made of, or who are endorsing it, all makeups block the sweat pores and make the skin less breathable.
The opinion remains split. Some labels argue that ‘workout-proof’ cosmetics and makeups are better than ‘sweat-proof’, insisting that the athleisure-designed products will keep your face looking Instagram-able, no matter how hard you exercise.
Nevertheless, the question of whether these athleisure makeup products are safer when compared with the regular makeup products, or are just a new marketing trick, remains to be answered.
What’s Best For You
We all know that working out will make you sweat a lot. Most waterproof makeup products use natural hydrophobic ingredients such as carnauba, beeswax, or emollients such as dimethicone to stop the sweating on your face. Some brands are still using harsh chemicals that age your skin faster than normal.
But, regardless of the materials used, is it really healthy to stop the sweating of your skin?
For example, the highlighter in the athleisure collection of Maybelline and Puma use the same ingredients as in their normal highlighter but, given the different targeting, with different marketing messages.
Interestingly, consumers don’t really care as long as they look good. In a test conducted by the Wall Street Journal, more than ninety per cent of the females didn’t care what the ingredients are made of, as long as their mascara showed no smudging.
Bottom line, as long as you, the user of these cosmetics don’t care what they are made of, or how damaging they can be to your skin, not much it will change. Clever marketing will make you wear makeups that make you look good on the short term but age your skin faster, not to mention the damage those chemicals continue to do on our environment.
