Making a Full Coverage Foundation Using Natural Dyes

Arsha Kishor

BACKGROUND MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS

Finding a full coverage foundation has been a struggle for people with Materials Sample Photo Observations
sensitive skin or acne. The foundations most people use have oil as the • 2 cups of pomegranate seeds • 1 cup of cocoa powder • 6 containers
1 -Only one layer was needed
main ingredient. So, when they apply foundation thinking it will cover up • Gallon of water • Fake skin samples • 3 pots for boiling
• Corn starch • 3 cups of cut red cabbage -Became a lighter shade over
their acne, it is clogging their pores and worsening their acne. Many • 3 raw turmeric root time while drying
people reach for a BB cream (a light foundation that evens skin tone) or a -Dried within 2 minutes
skin tint, but these options do not offer full-coverage and are not
Method(s)
completely safe for individuals with sensitive skin. It is important to avoid -Two layers were needed
oil in beauty products because they may be harming the skin. Creating a
2
Phase 1: Making the Foundation -Took 7 minutes to completely
plant-based, oil-free, full coverage foundation that is catered towards dry
1. Obtain pomegranate, red cabbage, water, turmeric roots, and cocoa powder
people with acne or sensitive skin is crucial to keep people’s skin clean.
2. Separate each fruit/vegetable into 3 separate pots (for boiling)
-Had a watery consistency
This foundation will give people a makeup option that does not contain oil
3. Boil each pot with one cup of water until the water is pigmented, stir occasionally
and will not worsen their acne. Many harmful ingredients in foundations -Only one layer was needed
4. Use a separate bowl to squeeze the pomegranate seeds (to get a more concentrated color) 3
are important to avoid. Fragrances used in products lead to allergies, -Had a good, cream-like
5. Use 1 tbs of each color and mix them together in 6 different containers
asthma, and hormone disruption (Suzuki, 2010). Parabens are another consistency
harmful ingredient that are still used in 70-90% of skin products (Suzuki, 6. With each sample, add ½ tbs more red to get a deeper color -Dried within 4 minutes
2010). Parabens are a type of preservative chemical that mimic estrogen 7. Mix 1 tbs of cocoa powder in the first container, increase by ½ a tbs each sample
that can cause chaotic hormone imbalances. They can even be linked to 8. Add 1 ½ tbs corn starch to each sample and mix
4 -Two layers were needed
breast and skin cancer (Faber, 2020). Phthalates are so harmful they have 9. Stir gently until the colors are blended and the texture is thick and pasty -It was watery and migrated
been banned in cosmetics in the European Union. They are a chemical that -Dried within 8 minutes
causes endocrine disruption, hormone and reproductive toxicity, and
developmental issues (Suzuki, 2010). These ingredients are detrimental to
anyone who uses them but can be especially harmful to individuals with Phase 2: Testing the Coverage 5 -One layer was needed
sensitive skin. Developing a foundation excluding ingredients like these is -Good, cream-like consistency
1. Obtain the fake skin samples -Dried within 4 minutes
crucial for maintaining healthy skin.
2. Draw a tattoo on each of the samples with a black sharpie
3. Use one drop of each foundation to cover the tattoo
4. Record how many drops it takes for the tattoo to be fully covered
6 -One layer was needed
-Very good consistency, opaque
OBJECTIVES 5. Record how long it takes for each sample to dry
-Dried within 2 minutes
6. Record observations on the final samples after 10 minutes
• Create a high coverage foundation to be used on people
Experimental Setup
with sensitive skin Table 1: Photos taken by Arsha Kishor. This is a table containing the results of this experiment. The
• Create a diverse range of shades by using different photos were taken 10 minutes after the foundation was applied to the fake skin to ensure all of them
were fully dry. They were observed throughout the drying process.
concentrations of pigment
• Independent Variable: The number of pigmented materials CONCLUSIONS
used for each sample The results taken from this experiment generally show the darker shades have better coverage
with the exception of two outliers. The shades that were darker and used more cocoa powder
• Dependent Variable: The amount of coverage the sample became a more opaque foundation with more coverage. The lighter shades were shown to be
has more watery and therefore not as opaque. The time it took for the foundations to dry were
also in line with the experimental goal. As shades got more opaque, it took less time for them
• Control Variable: The same tattoo design will be used for Image 1: Picture taken by Arsha Kishor. Pigments created for this experiment: concentrated red
was made with squeezed pomegranates, diluted red with boiled pomegranates, diluted yellow with
turmeric roots, diluted blue with boiled red cabbage.
to dry. The exception was shade 1 which was a very light shade, but took only two minutes to
each sample during testing dry, which was unexpected. This must be because of the high amount of cornstarch used in
that shade to give it a lighter color.

REFERENCES
Frends, B. (2016, August 16). Know What’s in Your Makeup: Top Ingredients to Avoid. Frends Beauty
Blog. https://www.frendsbeauty.com/blog/entry/know-what-s-in-your-makeup-top-ingredients-
to-avoid
Image 2: Photo taken by Arsha Kishor. These are the final foundation samples made from mixing the colors with
cocoa powder and corn starch. To vary in color, different amounts of cornstarch and cocoa powder were added to
each shade to give it a darker appearance. Lipoff, S. (2018, June 23). Homemade Natural Dyes. POPSUGAR Smart
Living. https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Homemade-Natural-Dyes-31861660

Suzuki, D. (2022, April 20). "The dirty dozen" cosmetic chemicals to avoid. David Suzuki Foundation.
Retrieved December 11, 2022, from https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-
chemicals-avoid/