While TikTok’s “everything shower” trend may have slowed down, the influence of luxurious at-home spa routines continues to leave a lasting mark on self-care enthusiasts everywhere. We’ve embraced the Sunday night ritual, reaching for our favorite cleansers, scrubs, masks, shavers, treatments, and lotions to give ourselves the ultimate end-of-week reset.
As a beauty editor, it’s rare when I come across a product that truly shocks me. So, when I saw a user on TikTok dipping a powder puff into a pot of powder in true old Hollywood starlet fashion and patting it across her body after a shower, I was stumped. We’ve all seen it in the movies, and we even nickname the toilet the powder room, but what does body powder really do? Ahead, the experts answer all our body powder questions.
Featured Experts
- Amy Peterson is a medical esthetician and founder of Skincare by Amy Peterson Clinic
- Ginger King is a cosmetic chemist and product developer
- Victoria Fu is a cosmetic chemist and co-founder of Chemist Confessions
What is body powder used for?
“Body powder is commonly used to help absorb moisture and keep the skin dry,” begins medical esthetician and founder of Skincare by Amy Peterson Clinic, Amy Peterson. “It can also help reduce sweat-related discomfort and prevent chafing by creating a smooth barrier on the skin to avoid friction in certain areas like the thighs and underarms. Body powder can also act as a gentle alternative to deodorants and is an effective way to help control body odor without any harsh chemicals.”
While we typically associate body powder with a baby’s bottom, cosmetic chemist and product developer Ginger King explains that “more elegantly, body powder is used to soften fragrances or as a technique for fragrance layering to help scents last longer while adding a soft smell and feel. For example, if you apply body lotion, spray on fragrance, and follow it with powder to absorb the wetness, it will also extend the fragrance and make it feel softer and less alcoholic.”
What key ingredients should you look for/ avoid when looking for a body powder?
As with many powder products, worries about ingredients like talc in the formula are common. But, as our experts explain, there are tons of safe and effective body powder formulas today. “In the past, talc was used in body powders,” King says. “But, with so many safety concerns with the ingredient, J&J and most other brands discontinued products using talc. The choice ingredients today include corn starch, rice starch, tapioca starch and if anti-wetness is truly wanted, arrowroot.” Peterson adds that “Essential oils can be added for fragrance but should be used sparingly and patch tested to avoid skin irritation.”
Cosmetic chemist and co-founder of Chemist Confessions, Victoria Fu, adds, “Most body powders are mainly composed of clay/mineral powders such as talc, mica, magnesium carbonate. Because of these powders’ unique ability to absorb moisture, we recommend dry skin types to avoid using body powders.”
5 Body Powders to Try
