If you’ve ever sipped on a glass of sparkling kombucha, sprinkled kimchi over your salad or bought a bottle of the milky yoghurt drink kefir, then you’ve tasted the fermentation trend.
And as ever with the fast-moving beauty industry, fermentation quickly made its way into skin care, with brands such as fresh, Youth To The People and La Mer incorporating kombucha and fermented algae into its products. Why? In the same way that fermented ingredients are beneficial for your gut health, they also do wonders for skin too, working to increase ingredient potency (so you reap even *more* benefits). And alongside encouraging skin turnover and refining texture and tone, protecting against free radicals and more, fermented skin care is certainly worth an addition to your routine.
So, guess what’s next: fermentation has now moved into make up, particularly into base products, as fermented ingredients are highly concentrated in ceramides, peptides and hyaluronic acid, leading to a plump and hydrated complexion. They also provide glow-boosting benefits — so you can see why they’re ideal for complexion formulas.
To learn more about this beauty trend we caught up with one of our expert Buyers, Sophia Ghwedar.
“Fermentation has been gaining popularity in skin care for years, and it’s now making waves in make up,” says Sophia. “The inclusion of fermented ingredients in make up products not onlyprotects the skin barrier, but they also soothe the appearance of redness, support collagen-rich skin and provide deep hydration. In short, fermentation is brilliant at contributing to your overall skin health.”
So, there you have it. Crack open a kombucha (ours is an Equinox Organic Raspberry & Elderflower) and read on for the best fermented make up finds...
BEST FERMENTED MAKE UP
The medium coverage, buildable formula and soft matte finish of the Rose Inc Softlight Skin-Smoothing Liquid Foundation makes it a staple for beauty bags far and wide. A carefully crafted skin-balancing complex works to control the look of shine (reducing those midday touch-ups) and reduce the appearance of redness, with fermented mushroom added for its plumping, hydrating properties.
The clue is in the name: the Rose Inc Lip Cream Weightless Matte Color really is a weightless matte that truly lasts all day (because there’s nothing more heartbreaking than your lip colour coming off during that first sip of your morning coffee). A fermented botanical complex smooths and firms, while plant-derived squalane keeps your kissers hydrated—there's none of that dreaded cracking or flaking here!
SHOP ALL ROSE INC >>> It wouldn't be La Mer unless the La Mer Soft Fluid Foundation Long Wear SPF20featured the brand’s Miracle Broth — a blend of hand-harvested sea kelp that is fermented for four months to reap the utmost glow-giving benefits. Soft Velvet Ferment technology also features, which is derived fromalgae found deep in the North Atlantic Ocean to plump, hydrate and soften.
SHOP ALL LA MER >>>Formulated with active ingredients and prebiotics, theShiseido Revitalessence Skin Glow Foundation hydrates, evens skin tone and minimises the appearance of pores in a smoothing, serum-like formula. Impressive so far, butthe real star of the show? The fermented yoghurt drink, kefir, whichnourishestheskin barrier for renewed, healthy-looking skin that glows.
SHOP ALL SHISEIDO >>> Powered by kombucha and nourishing marula oil, the Urban Decay Hydromaniac Blush Glow Hydratordelivers a pop of pigmented colour in shades ranging from cool corals to punchy pinks.Keeping those rosy cheeks hydrated and glowy, the pointed tip allows for precise application so you can achieve whichever blush look you’re crushing on that day.
SHOP ALL URBAN DECAY >>> The ELEMIS Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiserfeatures a triple whammy of kombucha, fermented ginger and fermented green tea seed oil to hydrate, brighten and nourish for a radiant basethat’s ideal for make up application. Plus, an active prebiotic helps to protect the skin barrier, while luminous micro-minerals deliver an ethereal glow. Yep, this primer-slash-moisturiseris going into our beauty bag, stat...
SHOP ALL ELEMIS >>> SHOP ALL MAKE UP >>> 
