Everybody’s Suddenly Using Milk Frothers to Mix Their Foundation, But Does It Do More Harm Than Good?

What YouTube was for makeup hacks in the 2010s, TikTok is now. From faking longer lashes with eyeliner to using cream blush as color corrector, there’s no shortage of clever tips on the platform. But with the good comes the not so good—or, at the very least, the questionable (see: people putting lube in their foundation to make it “glide”).

The latest makeup trick that’s making its rounds on our For You page falls in that category: frothing your foundation using the same milk frother you’d use to whip up a matcha latte. Admittedly, we were enticed by some of the videos, so we did some digging to see if the trend is worth our time.

• Judi Gabbay, a celebrity makeup artist based in New York City

Before people were frothing their foundation, they were frothing their face wash. Most notably, a beauty creator by the name of Glamzilla kicked off things by mixing two of her favorite cleansers with water and frothed it up into a fluffy foam.

Taking inspiration from Glamzilla, Avonna Sunshine, another creator who is being credited for the frothing foundation trend, decided to try a similar approach with her makeup. In the clip, Sunshine adds a few drops of foundation to a cup of water before blending the two ingredients together with an electric milk frother.

What results is a mousse-like concoction that she describes as “cloudy” in texture. “It feels so light…and the coverage is definitely lighter,” she concludes before debating whether to froth an entire bottle of foundation next.

Many people have since tried the trend and though there doesn’t seem to a consensus on exactly how much foundation vs. water to use, the gist is that you add a few drops of your liquid foundation to a couple tablespoons of water in a tall glass. Then, lower the frother into the glass and froth everything together until it visibly forms a whipped mousse.

The most obvious downside is you could create a mess (in Avonna Sunshine’s original video she gets splashed in the face by the frother) or, in the case of Wendyskin above, you can end up with a broken frother.

But the biggest risk with this technique is the potential for bacterial growth. TL;DR: When you add water to products, you increase the risk of contaminating them, which can cause an infection when they’re applied to your skin.

If you still want to try the trend, one workaround to safely go about it is to use distilled water and a fully sterilized frother. Then, use the freshly whipped foundation in one sitting rather than saving it for later.

So, is frothing your foundation worth trying? According to professional makeup artist Judi Gabbay, no. “I don’t think that frothing foundation really works. There are existing formulas out there that already have a lightweight or mousse-like texture and will perform better in the long run” she says, before adding that, “on a lot of these videos, I noticed that the foundation looks patchy and doesn’t blend in right away.”

Add to that the potential risk of bacterial contamination, and we think we’re going to pass on this trend and opt for a ready-made whipped foundation instead (like Maybelline’s Dream Matte Mousse Foundation or Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Mousse Makeup).