Once Considered Old-Fashioned, this Beauty Formulation Is Back in the Spotlight (2025)

There was a time, over a decade ago, when there wasn’t a single cream makeup product in my makeup routine. I would spend mornings piling on a powder foundation, then bronzer, next blush, and finish with a super-matte translucent powder. But then came the no-makeup makeup movement and the glazed donut skin trend, and suddenly, every popular blush was either a milky liquid or cream, and lightweight skin tints replaced my pressed foundations. But, like most trends (we see you, low-rise jeans and skinny brows), everything comes back around. When dewy-forward and skincare-infused brands like Saie and Tower28 both came out with powder formulas early this year, I knew that powder had made its official return into the limelight. This time around, the formulas are kinder to skin, blurring to pores, and even infused with hydrating ingredients that deliver the perfect balance of coverage and oil control.

I had a conversation with makeup artist Nick Barose at the end of 2023 where he alluded to me that there will be a return of matte makeup, and while that has come to fruition in a way (take the resurgence of matte eyeshadows, for example), today's powders go beyond matte makeup; the new iterations work to enhance the skin by blurring without diminishing the natural glow. Saie, whose cream Dew Blushes have earned cult status in the blush aisle, has a new powder blush called SuperSuede that was designed to do exactly that and work with the skin’s natural texture instead of drying it out.

“Our community was asking for a clean powder blush,” says Laney Crowell, the CEO and founder of Saie. “Plus, I’ve personally always struggled with powder blushes – they sit on top of my skin and accentuate dryness and texture. I wanted to set an entirely new standard for powder blush. SuperSuede delivers the ease of a powder with an ultra-luxurious, velvety texture that melts into the skin for a flawless finish—never patchy, cakey, or dry.”

Saie's airy powders were crafted in Italy, so although they are finely milled, they have a buttery-soft texture that resembles a bouncy pillow rather than gym chalk. Plus, Saie packed in plant-derived squalane, jojoba esters, and glycerin for a dose of hydration and to avoid any dry patches from forming. When I first tried SuperSuede and dipped my fluffy brush into the powder, I was nervous about the amount of pigment. But after applying, I was pleasantly surprised at how seamlessly the color diffused and how you could still see a soft glow on my skin underneath the powder.

Tower28, another brand praised for its creamy blush formulations, just introduced a hybrid formula of its cream blush and pressed powder that leaves cheeks with a perfectly smooth flush. The GetStet Matte Powder Blush, officially out on March 12, has kaolin clay that mattifies and blurs skin while depositing a healthy dose of color that gives a gorgeous airbrush effect.

YSL Beauty is also all-in on the powder trend, turning its blurring liquid blushes into a blurring powder blush aptly titled Make Me Blush. The buildable formula comes in eleven pigmented shades—all infused with rosehip to allow the powder to melt with the skin—in both matte and satin finishes.

While it seems counterintuitive to the glowy skin movement, there are plenty of new powder foundations to try. Last year, the Make Up For Ever HD Skin Matte Foundation and Setting Powder went viral for its amazing coverage. Seeing the split pan with powder on one side and sponge on the other instantly brought me back to the memories of using a Bareminerals powder foundation in middle school. But this formula is far more buttery, with an impressive 24 hours of wear. Kylie Cosmetics also released a powder foundation this year. The non-comedogenic powder is infused with aloe leaf and bamboo extract for hydration and 12 hours of wear. Kosas's new loose powder not only sets makeup and reduces shine but also brightens and heals irritated skin with bamboo stem extract, passionfruit leaf extract, and peony extract.

Today’s powders also don’t compromise on ingredients. Talc, which has historically been used in cosmetic powders, has become a hot topic in the last few years as it can be contaminated with asbestos during manufacturing. All of the powders above are talc-free, yet last hours (most up to 12) and deliver excellent coverage. As new powder innovations continue to develop, I have no doubt we’ll start to see more formulas that will convert even the most powder-averse among us.