Oscars 2021: Body makeup is the new celebrity beauty trend you need to know
There’ll be one item in every celebrity’s makeup bag at the Academy Awards and it has Kim Kardashian’s seal of approval.
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There’ll be one item in every celebrity’s makeup bag at the Oscars and it has Kim Kardashian and Rihanna’s seal of approval.
Once the sole domain of the face, makeup – specifically, foundation – is now being used on the body, with brands releasing tailored formulas for use on the arms and chest, to the back and legs. It’s foundation for everywhere except the face.
A twist on the self-tanning trend, body foundation is the must-have new beauty essential filtering down from the Academy Awards red carpet and catwalk to the mainstream, retailers say.
Sephora Australia reported a surge in demand for body foundation, which it described as a “growth area” driven by Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line.
Fenty Beauty released a new body makeup product, “Body Sauce Luminising Tint”, into Australian Sephora stores this month to “huge” demand.
The product – available in seven shades – is a skin-enhancing, gel-cream formula that features a subtle shimmer and won’t rub off on clothing.
Kim Kardashian’s KKW Beauty Body Prefecting foundation went viral on Instagram, with the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star demonstrating it to conceal sunburn and pigmentation on her own body.
Her line also includes a Skin Perfecting body shimmer and setting powder, for use on the body.
‘AIRBRUSHING YOUR SKIN’
Body makeup is regularly sported by Australian mega-influencer Elle Ferguson, who launched her own body foundation dubbed “The Tint” ($44.95) as part of her makeup brand, Elle Effect. It sold out within 48 hours of its launch – online and via Mecca stores – in December.
“I have always had body foundations used on me when I model: it’s foundation for your body, so you can colour in the parts that need to be coloured in, and shower it off,” Bondi-based Ms Ferguson said.
“It doesn’t rub off on your clothes.”
So how does body makeup differ from face foundation? “It’s the ingredients,” Ms Ferguson said. “What you put on your face is different to what you put on your body.
“The skin on your face is different to the skin on your arms, legs and your chest.
“It is like you’re airbrushing your skin.”
Sephora Australia spokeswoman Effie Athanasopoulos said demand for body makeup had grown “over the past few years”.
Bestsellers for the US-based beauty giant include Dior Backstage Face and Body foundation ($70), Tan-Luxe ‘The Body’ drops ($74), with Fenty-branded body products No. 1 in terms of popularity.
“Glowing, healthy-looking skin is in, and with that we have seen the trend extend from our faces, to our bodies with body makeup,” Ms Athanasopoulos said.
“(Via) social media, our clients are being influenced in the messaging that foundation is not just for the face.
“What makes body makeup different to foundation or concealer worn on your face, is the cover it can provide.
“Whether you are using it for coverage, illumination or both, body makeup is typically sweat and transfer resistant.”
She said Fenty Beauty launched into the body category in 2018 with its ‘Body Lava Body Luminiser’ ($82), which had a “halo effect” on the entire cosmetics category.
“This has since paved the way for the brands newest body product Body Sauce Luminizing Tint which goes beyond just illumination, providing pigment and coverage in seven shades,” Ms Athanasopoulos said.
BODY LANGUAGE
Skincare doesn’t end at your face and the rise in the popularity of makeup for the legs, arms and chest is turning attention to other areas of the body (even Rihanna launched a skincare offshoot, dubbed Fenty Skin).
Grown Alchemist founder Jeremy Muijs said consumers now understood that “looking after their skin should not limit to just the facial skin”.
“Women are now much more conscious (of) … body care products that protect their skin as well as prevent signs of ageing or other damages caused by the environment and urban lifestyle,” he said.
Body-based treatments are facing a surge in popularity at Grown Alchemist’s Retail Lab – including in Carlton, where its Top to Toe service ($110) is offered (the treatment is “designed to indulge, regenerate and nurture the body”).
Muijs said there was a rise in skincare products “that are specifically designed for areas that might have been neglected by consumers”. This means the neck, chest and shoulders because
“our body shows signs of ageing just like any other skin”, he said.
“It requires anti-ageing and preventive actives just like our facial skin,” Muijs said.
“The skin around our neck, for example, does show signs of ageing and that’s why we are seeing more product that either work on both facial skin and the neck, décolletage, or some brands have specific neck creams for the targeted area.”
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