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Makeup of Makeup: Decoding Blush

Your guide to the history, ingredients, and proper application of blush.

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By Shelley Levitt
WebMD the Magazine - Feature

Reviewed by Karyn Grossman, MD

Ever wonder who invented blush, what's actually in it, and how to choose the right color? We've gathered the facts on this most basic cosmetic.

The History of Blush

Since at least 3000 BC, women have looked for ways to bring a beguiling flush to their complexion. In ancient Egypt, women applied crushed mulberries to their cheeks. In the late 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I prepared her own rouge from red ochre clay, plant leaves, and egg whites.

Beets for Blush

A recipe for tinted face powder from the French court of Louis XIV called for beet and carrot juice to be mixed with cornstarch and left out in the sun until the liquid evaporated.

Modern Blush Ingredients

Today, whether blush is in powder, cream, liquid, or gel form, it relies on FDA-approved colorants or dyes to produce rosy cheeks. These pigments appear on the label as a color and number, such as Red 33, Yellow 5, or Red Lake 6. Typically, three or four pigments are mixed to make a single shade of blush. "Fewer than 100 colorants are approved by the FDA, but these can be blended in an infinite number of ways, which is how cosmetic companies are able to introduce new shades every season," says Perry Romanowski, MS, a Chicago-based cosmetic chemist.

By themselves these colorants are so concentrated they’d show up as intensely vivid dots on your skin. Chemists add fillers, such as talc and stearic, a natural fatty acid, to dilute the pigment. Coverage or concealing pigments, including mica, zinc oxide, and titanium oxide, are also added to the mix. "These ingredients block your natural skin color," says Romanowski, "so the blush color you apply will be bright and true."

Long-Lasting Blush

Looking for a blush that will last from breakfast to after-dinner drinks? Choose a cream, liquid, or gel. Because these formulations contain water or oils, they form a film on your skin and wear longer. But once the product dries on the skin, which can be seconds in the case of liquid cheek stain, it’s nearly impossible to blend. Powders offer the most goof-proof application.

Blush Shelf Life

Is your blush looking a little muddy? You’ve probably held on to it too long. Cosmetic companies test blush to remain stable for about a year once opened. "After that, the red pigment may start to break down, so your blush will go on more brown," says Romanowski. "It also won’t spread as easily, so you may end up with streaks."

Blush Tips

Wondering how best to apply blush? Raychel Wade, New York makeup artist and "colour ambassador" for La Prairie, offers this makeup tip:

"Perfect blush application is all about placement. Ideally you want the burst of color to be right on the apples of your cheeks. A foolproof way to find this is to nestle the brush directly under your eye pupil and across from the tip of your nose. Then blend up and out two inches."

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