Why Wearing Makeup During Workouts May Be Bad for Your Skin
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If you’re one of those people who never goes anywhere — even the gym — without wearing makeup, a new study suggests that you may want to rethink this to protect your skin.
For the study, scientists asked 43 healthy male and female college students to do 20-minute treadmill workouts in a lab. Before they exercised, all of them applied cream foundation to the forehead and upper cheek on one half of their face while leaving the other half makeup-free.
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Pores also expanded and oil levels increased on the makeup-free skin, while pores remained the same size and oil levels dropped where people had on foundation. This suggests that wearing makeup during workouts can interfere with the skin’s ability to maintain proper oil levels during exercise and potentially cause dry skin, clogged pores, and acne, says senior study author Dongsun Park, PhD, of the Korea National University of Education in Seoul.
“For skin health, it’s best to exercise with your makeup removed,” Dr. Park says.
Why Proper Oil Levels Are So Important for Healthy Skin
There are several skin issues that can develop when the proper oil levels aren’t maintained, Park notes.
“Clogged pores and increased oil production can lead to acne breakouts, including whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples,” Park says. “This can be particularly concerning for individuals with acne-prone skin.”
It’s also possible that makeup won’t help you look your best during workouts, Park adds. “Excess oil can cause cream foundation to break down or slide off the skin unevenly, resulting in patchy or streaky makeup application.”
Even though the study focused on cream foundation, it’s likely that powdered makeup would also interfere with proper skin function during workouts, says Shari Lipner, MD, PhD, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, who wasn’t involved in the new study.
“Some oil is necessary to hydrate the skin, transport antioxidants, and fight bacteria, so wearing makeup during exercise is probably not a good idea,” Dr. Lipner says.
It’s possible that powder might not clog pores as much as cream foundation, but it would still dry up oils and have similar effects on the skin by the end of a workout, Lipner adds.
Eye makeup like mascara or eyeliner can also cause skin issues, including irritation, itching, rashes, and infection, Lipner says. Wearing lipstick at the gym, however, is less apt to cause any skin problems.
A ‘Careful Balance’ Can Be Struck for Wearing Makeup at the Gym
But if makeup gives you a much needed mood boost to make you feel more confident or energetic during your workouts, you might not necessarily need to go completely makeup-free at the gym.
“It is a careful balance,” Lipner says.
If you do wear makeup to the gym, the right products and skin care routine can help minimize the risk of skin problems, Lipner adds.
Start by looking for noncomedogenic products that are less likely to clog your pores, and wear as little makeup as possible, Lipner advises. Then end your workouts by using makeup wipes on your face, followed by washing up with a gentle cleanser and water as soon as you can.
“In general, I would recommend to avoid wearing makeup while working out because it can worsen skin conditions,” Lipner says. “However, I would say it is better to work out with makeup on than to be sedentary.”
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