In the beauty world, the unspoken rule is simple: If a product works for you, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. That’s why you’ll often see disclaimers on beauty reviews across social media, urging you to do your research before following the latest trends. This advice is more for your benefit than for the influencer sharing their experience.
Case in point: the debate on cushion foundations, where (very) strong opposing opinions have been said, specifically on Beauty TikTok. Whether or not cushion foundations are truly all the rage or fall short on their claims, it’s safe to say that we’ve found ourselves reeled in (pun intended) on the conversation. What is it, and is it worth getting into? We dive deep and ask the experts.
Changing The Game
Cushion foundations were first seen in Korea, as you may have guessed, the origin of many beauty trends. Amorepacific takes the claim, having launched the innovative product in 2008 as a response to the growing demand from Korean users to find a convenient way to apply and re-apply sunscreen. “I was inspired by the stamp pad used at parking lots. The sponge is saturated, yet the ink doesn’t leak and the stamp is evenly printed on tickets,” says Choi Kyung-ho, senior vice president of Cushion Laboratory, AmorePacific R&D Center, per a Korea Herald report.
Not only did this invention revolutionize the makeup base game, but it’s also become a key product of many trends that emerged following its release, from the concept of MSBB or My Skin But Better to conscious beauty and the clean girl aesthetic.
“Essentially, a cushion foundation is a liquid formula housed in a compact,” describes a 2016 HuffPost report. It was around this time that the cushion foundation, touted as “a total game changer” by Glamour magazine in 2016, first gained traction. It was a time when K-Beauty was all the rage, too, crossing borders across the world by way of its face masks, BB creams, and lip tints. “Think of it as a BB cream in compact form,” stated the Glamour report. It was also one of the first makeup products that combined skincare with makeup.
In sum, makeup users who loved it raved about its convenience, compactness, and lightweight coverage. It gives a natural finish but is buildable to achieve full coverage. Cushion foundations also weren’t meant to replace their liquid counterparts but complement them—used for touchups while on the go or used on their own on days when you need minimal coverage.
All The Rage
“This is just a public service announcement about cushion foundations from Korea. It’s crap. The color never matches; it dries out in ten seconds. It’s a gimmick. Don’t bother.” These were the exact words of Bethenny Frankel, an American TV personality and philanthropist, who shared her very candid thoughts on TikTok. After watching the first half of the video, the only issue she pointed out was that the formulation dried up too quickly and that ultimately led to the start of the cushion foundation discourse on the app.
@bethennyfrankel Girl don’t do it #cushion #foundation #korean @The Lipstick Lesbians #drying #scam #crap #gimmick ♬ original sound – Bethenny Frankel
Of course, a discourse wouldn’t be a discourse without having polarizing perspectives, but the reaction to Frankel’s blunt review opened a forum on Beauty TikTok. Brooklyn-based beauty content creator Alexis Androulakis, who has an extensive beauty background that includes know-how in product development, countered Frankel’s review with a more informative angle by using the Clio Kill Cover Foundation SPF 50 as an example.
“You’re literally patting your face, and you’re done. You cannot take a liquid foundation and put it on that quickly. Even with powder, you kind of have to uniformly blend because you have to press along the entirety of your face. The cushion’s liquid hybrid format lets you do this at a rapid speed,” she explains.
Androulakis highlighted another significant point that plays a huge factor in the science of makeup, briefly discussing the differing goals behind beauty product development in Asia and the West. When it comes to layering, Asians would focus on skincare rather than makeup, and that’s why a natural finish is more favored. Meanwhile, most users from the West would layer their makeup to achieve a full-glam look.
@thelipsticklesbians #stitch with @@Bethenny Frankel Thanks so much @Bethenny Frankel for tagging us in this video! I stopped self tanning this week just for this 😂 JK… but your thoughts on Korean cushions are understandable. And it’s a great opportunity to talk about the pros and cons. Whether you should snag a @cliocosmetics_global cushion foundation, or any other Korea cushion brand, depends on what you're after. If you love a lightweight, buildable coverage that takes two seconds to throw on, this style foundation could be your new go-to. The cons are definitely there though. Because of the beauty market preferences in Asia, made for the Asian market, the shade range is going to always be extremely limited unfortunately. For me, even if I put on the darkest shade they offer, I still wouldn’t be happy when I’m tanning. Plus this style of a product will be used fast, which is why it comes with a refill in an airtight package included. This is them telling you that it’s not something that will last you more than 2-3 months depending on the frequency of use. Why yours may be drying out is because of the nature of this formulation needing to be kept airtight. The packaging it’s in is specifically designed to keep it locked but it’s inevitable that the more often you use her, the more you open the compact which leads to air exposure and eventually the foundation drying out. All in all, it comes down to if you love how this foundation lays in a unique way that you can’t get in a bottle format and are okay with it lasting for just a couple months. Now whether the is a foundation for you is ultimately your choice! The choice is always yours beauty queens ❤️ #thelipsticklesbians #beautytok #makeupreview #cushionfoundation #kbeauty ♬ original sound – The Lipstick Lesbians
In the Philippines, beauty content creator Bella Madamba put the viral Japanese-produced cushion foundation, TIRTIR Mask Fit Cushion with SPF 40 PA++, to the test while she was on vacation in Tokyo, Japan. The beauty influencer noted that just one pat provides substantial coverage, but with that impressive result comes increased pressure to find the perfect shade. On top of that, the payoff on the skin did not mask her texture or dry patches.
What’s The Fuzz
Makeup artists from the land of the cushion foundation’s origin weigh in, noting the differences in skincare types and makeup styles of people from Asia and the West, which therefore influences what they look for in and how they use cushion foundations.
Jenny Hyun, a makeup instructor at the Jung Saemmool Art and Academy, shared a quick comparison between Western and Korean skin by pointing out the effects of having peach fuzz, a.k.a. the visible, little hairs on the face. “[The skin of people from the west] tend to have more peach fuzz, which makes [achieving the dewy skin look] and using flat foundation application, [such as in cushions], a bit more difficult,” she says. On the other hand, most Koreans don’t have noticeable peach fuzz, thus making it easier for them to achieve dewy skin, making the moisturizing, SPF-infused foundation cushions a staple in their stash.
Peter Jang, global makeup artist at Innisfree, points out how Koreans who don’t usually have peach fuzz can lead to them having dry skin. The case is different for the West because theirs is more evident, causing their skin to moisten or sweat easily—and it’s also why they prefer formulations that have a matte finish rather than a dewy one. Given this, foundations that last longer and hold stronger are seen as a better fit for Western skin, and the use of cushions comes in handy for quick touch-ups.
For Hyun and Jang, it’s important to note the usage intended for cushion foundations and the techniques one can use to make it work. Cushion foundations are meant for rapid-speed application, built for convenience of use, and their variations provide sheer to medium coverage. A full coverage can also be achieved through layering.
From Global To Local
If there’s a community that will jump on K-Beauty trends in a snap, we believe that a majority will be from the Philippines. But what should we know about Cushion Foundation and how it fares with Filipino users?
Philippine-based makeup artist Chuchie Ledesma had the opportunity to learn the artistry of Korean beauty techniques from Jenny Hyun back in Seoul, and she expressed that while having the product is nice to have in your stash, it isn’t exactly a necessity for her. “Although there are a lot of cushions that are formulated to withstand humidity and other harsh weather conditions, I find that the traditional foundation [in liquid form] still does better work than a BB cushion,” she shares. Still, the makeup artist gives credit to many of the cushion foundation brands’ initiatives to be more inclusive in their shade range and prices.
For makeup artist Sette SB, who has a diverse clientele in the Philippines, the current rave in the local scene is understandable since cushion formulations are made to be thin or lightweight, so it feels like it’s skincare—a huge advantage for Filipinos who usually deal with heat and humidity. On top of that, SB also discussed the convenience behind the packaging and the benefit of having it with you anytime, anywhere. “[Cushion foundations] minimizes or removes chances of leakage in kits, especially for on-the-go guys and girls and anyone in between,” she points out.
ARE CUSHION FOUNDATIONS FOR YOU?
What they don’t tell you in the box
Cushion foundations: yay or nay? Before you tap on the check-out button, it is a must—nay, a necessity—to go through the mental checklist of questions to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Is lastingness your priority? Ledesma expressed that cushion foundations aren’t made to last the whole day, so it’s best to reach out for your long-wearing foundations instead. What if you want matte skin? You’d want to hold yourself back for now because the formulation isn’t meant to keep it smooth for extensive hours.
Time to make it work
What do you do when you finally have the cushion? It would be best to know how it’s used in Korea first since the locals consider it their staple base product.
Keeping in mind the product’s reference, which are parking lot stamps, one can visualize how cushion foundations are meant to be applied: as if “stamping” the product onto the face using a cushion, instead of swiping with a brush.
A key tip from Hyun is to pat the cushion puff perpendicularly to the skin gently to lessen the appearance of textured skin—no sweeping motions here because that will cause product separation. As for Jang, moisturizing the skin before application will prevent a cakey finish since the cushion puff is known to absorb moisture.
To achieve a dewy finish without looking oily, Ledesma’s tip is to set the T-zone with a very thin layer of powder before applying the cushion foundation. SB also emphasized the benefit of still putting on layers of hydration and sun protection, even if your cushion foundation is already infused with skincare ingredients, to avoid having a thick and cakey layer of foundation on your skin. “You would need multiple layers of an SPF cushion to achieve the same protection as the suggested amount of sunscreen,” she says.
Don’t forget about user discretion
We can go on and on about the benefits and disadvantages of this foundation variant, but it ultimately leads back to doing your research. Beauty is meant to be personal, so get to know your skin like you’re getting to know someone you’re about to date. Do your background checks, familiarize yourself with certain ingredients, and, most of all, process everything before you reach your conclusion. Remember, beauty is an investment, too, so make smart choices!
MAKEUP ARTIST-APPROVED PICKS
Since Seoul has a plethora of brands, and it can get pretty overwhelming to skim through them all, we asked Hyun and Jang to give their personal picks, too.
Since Hyun teaches at the academy, she specifically chose Jungsaemmool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion Foundation because of its flexibility for all skin types, and it is known for its skin-like finish thanks to the subtle moisture the formulation has. On the other hand, Jang narrowed down the options and listed down brands such as Rom&nd, HERA, espoir, and Club Clio, which are also the most preferred brands of the locals in Seoul.
Jungsaemmool Essential Skin Nuder Cushion
P3,151.74, Holiholic
CLIO Kill Cover The New Founwear Cushion
P2,300, Lazada
Rom&nd,Romand Nu Zero Cushion Rom&nd
P1,450, Lazada
HERA Black Cushion Foundation
US$60, Amore Mall
espoir Be Natural Cushion
US$42, Olive Young
Innisfree No-Sebum Powder Cushion
P1,200, Innisfree
BEAUTY CREATOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Of course, we had to seek recommendations from the local scene and asked beauty creators to share their cushion foundation picks.
Madamba’s first choice comes from a Filipino brand, ChuChu Beauty’s Yummy Yum Skin Dewy Cushion, which she commends for its wide shade range for Filipino skin tones, the dewy and self-setting finish, and the fact that it wears well in our humid weather. Her second pick would be the TIRTIR Mask Fit Crystal Mesh Cushion—another variation of the brand’s cushion line. This variant, according to Madamba, allows for the application of thin layers thanks to the cushion’s mesh design, and she loves how it gives a glowy, lightweight finish to the skin.
Teree Daisuke, 2023’s TikTok Philippines’ Beauty Creator of the Year, chose the Jungsaemmool Masterclass Radiant Cushion—a personal go-to of his. In addition to its long-lasting effects, this product helps achieve the coveted glass skin we all strive for. Its slight tackiness enhances makeup longevity, yet it remains comfortable and lightweight on the skin, even without setting powder.
ChuChu Yummy Yum Skin Dewy Cushion
P599, Lazada
TirTir Mask Fit Crystal Mesh Cushion
P1,754, Yesstyle
Jungsaemmool Masterclass Radiant Cushion (reco by Teree Daisuke)
P3,340, Yesstyle
EDITORS’ CHOICE
Last but not least, find below a list of honorary mentions from The Beauty Edit editors. This roster includes products from the local scene, the land of cushion foundations, and a sprinkle of luxury from the crème de la crème of skin care.
BLK Cosmetics Airy Matte Cushion Foundation
P749, Lazada
LANEIGE Neo Cushion Glow
P2,115, Lazada
La Mer The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation
P7,800, Lazada
Collage by Dannah Valdezco. Woman holding cushion foundation by © Makidotvn. Cushion foundation by © Bianca Marie Arreola. Fiji volcano by © PJ66431470. Landscape painting by © The Everette Collection via canva.com
