More Than Makeup

With the growing number of beauty lovers incorporating SPF into their daily makeup routines, the need for multi-functional products has never been greater. 

During a fireside chat at the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ 2026 Suppliers’ Day in May, Supergoop! Chief Innovation Officer Akshay Talati said one of modern beauty’s biggest innovations is making SPF part of everyday routines with a compatible texture key to usage. 

This “sunification of makeup,” he said, is driving innovation in the facial cosmetics category. 

According to Modor Intelligence, the facial cosmetics market, estimated to be $33.5 billion in 2026, is expected to reach $43.22 billion by 2031. Analysts say this trajectory reflects a structural shift from consumption toward formulation sophistication, where brands embed active skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid, peptides and niacinamide into foundations and concealers to capture consumers who won’t choose between coverage and treatment.

There are also opportunities for primers that offer protection benefits.

An exemplar product is Supergoop’s Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40. It visibly blurs pores, smooths the appearance of skin, primes for makeup and provides skincare benefits in four shades: Sunrise for light-medium skin tones; Untinted for fair-light skin tones; Golden Hour for medium-deep skin tones; and Sunset for deep skin tones. Another product, Dewscreen Hydrating Primer SPF 50, is formulated with hyaluronic acid to drench skin and grip makeup while leaving behind a dewy finish.

Indeed, healthy skin makes for seamless makeup application. For those who see their skin showing the results of time, typical foundations can accentuate dry, wrinkly skin resulting in a “caked on” appearance. And there are others who simply don’t want to, or have time for multiple steps before applying facial makeup.

These factors have led beauty brands to build makeup products that work better with mature skin and serve as multi-taskers with added benefits like SPF and skin nourishing ingredients.

All About the Balm (Foundation)

Currently, balm foundations—which provide beauty enthusiasts with a flawless finish—are all the rage. Balm foundations are the fastest-growing foundation and base products in the US, per New York City trend tracker Spate’s Popularity Index. Straddling the line between a cream foundation and a tinted balm, balm foundations offer lightweight coverage with a hydrating finish. The format is appealing during the summer months, when most makeup wearers seek a barely-there feel. 

Balm foundation has grown 299.1% year-over-year across platforms and remains “low popularity”—but is quickly gaining traction, analysts say. TikTok currently leads with 48.0% “popularity share” and 461.9% growth, while the category receives 2,000 average monthly searches on Google and 230,000 average weekly views on TikTok, according to Spate.

Benefits like lightweight (2,600 average monthly searches) are frequently searched alongside the trend, driven in part by products such as KVD Beauty’s Good Apple Skin-Perfecting Hydrating Foundation Balm. 

According to Spate, demographic-specific hashtags such as #over40makeup (8,500) point to interest in products such as Doll 10’s Peptide Bounce Balm, which is designed for mature skin and marketed as a formula that doesn’t settle into fine lines. Top branded hashtags include #sheglam (11,300 average weekly views) and #doll10 (9,100), highlighting interest from both value-conscious shoppers and consumers seeking products tailored to mature, dry or textured skin.

One brand that leans into high-performing foundations, including those for mature skin, is Jones Road Beauty by Bobbi Brown. The brand’s Your Skin Foundation Stick includes 30 “true to you” shades from Pale Alabaster to Neutral Beige to Espresso. Billed as a skin-first foundation, it nourishes and hydrates skin with ceramides, squalane and sodium hyaluronate and shea butter. 

Laura Geller, which also specializes in the “no-makeup” makeup look and caters to “mature” skin, offers Instant Enhancer Buildable Foundation Stick. The serum-based foundation stick delivers buildable coverage and a natural-looking finish with nine shades from Porcelain to Toffee. It works to cover dark spots while neutralizing redness and uneven tone, according to the brand.

BB Creams and K-Beauty Influence

With the recent wave of K-beauty penetrating the US, another facial product high on Spate’s Popularity Index is Korean BB Creams. While the BB cream isn’t new, analysts say Korean BB cream has grown 212.0% year-over-year. TikTok currently leads the trend with 52.9% popularity share and has grown over 1,000% year-over-year. The category receives 3,200 average monthly searches on Google and 292,600 average weekly views on TikTok. 

Analysts say the presence of #koreanskincare (6,000 average weekly views) reinforces the broader K-beauty influence behind the trend. 

According to Spate’s analysis, for brands bringing Korean-inspired formulas to the US market, shade range remains critical. In fact, limited shade offerings remain a frequent critique of K-beauty complexion products. 

Mixsoon is helping to change the game. The brand recently introduced its PDRN Collagen Tinted Moisturizers, applying a “skin-first” philosophy prioritizing hydration, radiance and skin health into the complexion category. The viral tinted skincare range has 10 adaptive shades that  are said to deliver a breathable “second skin” finish. It is billed a high-performance hybrid created to illuminate and hydrate, according to the brand. 

The formula is infused with rice PDRN, collagen and peptides. Easy-Wearing technology allows for fingertip application, melting into natural contours for a luminous finish. Designed with water-resistant wear, it helps maintain a radiant look through daily humidity and light exposure to water. 

Another K-beauty brand employing a “skin-first” approach is Dr. Althea. Its Aqua Glowing Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 50 is formulated with Bambusa vulgaris water to provide protection from the sun for better elasticity, and sodium DNA, a vegan PDRN extract from seaweed, to support skin regeneration and collagen production.

Suncare-Makeup Hybrids

On National Sunscreen Day, SunsolveMD promoted its ZnO + AntiOxtint. The SPF skin tint delivers lightweight coverage while giving skin a subtle blurred, evened-out finish, per the brand. Ranging in six shades suitable for fair to deep skin tones with SPF 50 protection, it layers under other beauty products. The silky textured mineral sunscreen is said to even the complexion, while Dermo-Vitaplex technology delivers hydration and improves tone over time, according to the brand.

Derma E’s Sun Protection Mineral Powder SPF 30 is a brush-on mineral SPF 30 powder. Designed for on-the-go use, the formula helps mattify skin and works “seamlessly” over makeup for on-the-go daily touch-ups, noted officials. 

Derma Made, founded by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Amy Brodsky, offers a SPF 50 Moisturizer in both sheer and tinted versions. The 100% mineral broad-spectrum sunscreen formulas are designed to combat aging, hyperpigmentation and sun damage and protect the skin. Lightweight and non-greasy in texture, they protect from UVA and UVB rays while filtering out blue-violet light emitted from digital screens (another skin aging aggressor) and provide infrared light protection, according to the brand, which was acquired in January by Newmedical Technology, Inc.

EltaMD’s newly launched innovation, UV Daily Hydration + Tinted SPF 50, is powered by Zinc-AOX Pro Technology to provide broad-spectrum protection while its antioxidant blend with hyaluronic acid delivers hydration while supporting the skin barrier and improving moisture retention over time. In a 12-week clinical study, 100% of users reported improved hydration, plumping and visible smoothing, according to the brand.