A solid skin-care routine is the best thing you can do to improve the health and appearance of your skin—that’s a known fact. But if you’re putting in the hard work there and then piling on makeup with pore-clogging ingredients, you’re doing your complexion a disservice.
While there are plenty of makeup brands with skin-loving formulas on the market, many are just hopping on the “clean” or “natural” bandwagon and including trendy ingredients in minuscule concentrations. So if you don’t know where to start as you go to update your makeup bag, look to these five doctor-backed brands, which have been making good-for-you cosmetics since their inception.
Physicians Formula
Founded by allergist Dr. Frank Crandall in 1937, Physicians Formula was originally created for Dr. Crandall’s wife, who suffered from lupus and needed makeup that wouldn’t aggravate her sensitive skin. The 83-year-old brand prides itself on creating products around the concept of “healthy beauty,” where each product is created and tested under strict requirements. Each new launch must be safe for sensitive skin and eyes and formulated without harmful ingredients, like formaldehyde.
To go a step further, Physicians Formula launched its Organic Wear line in 2008, with skin-care and makeup products formulated free of preservatives and parabens. The packaging materials, like natural goat hair bristles and a paper compact that uses more than 90 percent less plastic than traditional compacts, are eco-conscious. The line has been certified organic by EcoCert, one of the largest organic certification organizations in the world, and was one of the first mass-market organic makeup lines.
A best seller
Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Blush ($10) is one of the hero products, and you can probably guess why—the texture quite literally feels like butter. The cult-favorite blush comes in six shades and is infused with murumuru butter, cupuaçu butter, and tucuma butter, for an ultra-creamy texture.
Pro tip: Skip the highlighter when applying this—the subtle sheen provides the cheeks with both color and a lit-from-within glow.
Related: How to Ease into Clean Skin Care Without Sacrificing Results
Doll 10 Beauty
Launched in 2006, Doll 10 was created by Doris Dalton, a wellness and chiropractic medicine specialist from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. After getting diagnosed with Hurthle cell carcinoma, Dr. Dalton barely recognized herself when she looked in the mirror, due to her dull skin and thinning hair. That’s when she decided to start her own makeup line—one that would be safe enough for her post-chemotherapy skin.
Doll 10 Beauty is a line of clinically backed and cruelty-free products that feature 10 skin-repairing ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, algae, magnesium, vitamin C, and ceramides, to act as nutrition for the skin. Dalton used her understanding of the body and the skin’s ability to heal itself to pioneer the creation of bioceutical ingredients, which are ingredients derived from food sources, for her line.
Dalton works with labs that create ingredients for pharmaceutical and wellness products, and they are able to harness that technology and formulate with it so that the benefits can be received topically on the skin. “All of our products are developed as skin care first, and each product is packed with ingredients that work deep within the layers of the skin—they’re not just sitting on the surface,” says Dalton.
A best seller
On days when I’m exhausted and running out the door, I like to dab some Doll 10 HydraLux Smoothing Multi-Tasking Concealer ($29) under my eyes, to look more awake. Not only does it brighten the under-eye area (so much so that the brand describes this as a “cup of coffee for your under-eyes”), but it’s also super buildable and helps decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Pro tip: Don’t just stop at your under-eyes—spread this concealer, with your fingers or a brush, over any blemishes or discolorations you want to hide.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Bigger, Brighter Looking Eyes—From Makeup to Medical Treatments
Dermablend Professional
Dermablend is a line of full-coverage foundations, concealers, setting powders, and more—for all skin types, tones, and conditions—created in 1981 by dermatologist Dr. Craig Roberts. After he was unable to find effective skin-care products to help his patients with their rosacea, vitiligo, hyperpigmentation, burns, and birthmarks, he partnered with his makeup artist wife, Flori Roberts, to create a line of high-performing pigments.
A best seller
Offered in three different shades, the Dermablend Loose Setting Powder ($29) is a best seller for good reason. It works wonders at getting foundation to stay put for 16 hours straight and helps to absorb excess oil for a mattifying effect.
Pro tip: If you’re using foundation to cover up tattoos or discolorations on the body, dust the areas with setting powder, for extra staying power.
Perricone MD
Perricone MD was founded by dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone in 1997. His early research on how to prevent and reverse the effects of chronic and subclinical inflammation (which is the cause of aging and disease, according to his research) is what led him to develop Perricone MD. The line not only includes skin-care products but also offers dietary supplements and encourages consuming a healthy diet, for radiant skin.
Perricone launched his No Makeup cosmetics line in 2014, which features “skin-care-infused” products with powerful ingredients, including neuropeptides, hyaluronic acid, acyl-glutathione, and vitamin C. The collection includes everyday basics—think: foundation serum, eye shadow, lipstick, and blush.
A best seller
The Perricone MD No Makeup Lipstick ($22) is a subtle lipstick that offers a sheer wash of color. Formulated in six different shades, the lipstick is made with neuropeptides and hyaluronic acid, to help plump and smooth lips over time, and has broad-spectrum SPF 15 protection.
Pro tip: Forgot blush and highlighter? Lightly dab the lipstick on the apples of your cheeks, for a hint of color with a dewy finish.
