In Sight: Blush Just Got Smarter

By: Katie Schaefer, Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine

Posted: December 3, 2007, from the December 2007 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

The Evolution of Blush
Some say the use of blush and rouge began in ancient Roman society, where women rubbed rouge onto their cheeks. This practice progressed with the Persians who used henna; through the Middle Ages when women bled themselves and smudged it on their cheeks; to the Victorian age when crushed beets and strawberries were used, or women pinched their cheeks—all to achieve a healthy glow.

The category, of course, has evolved to a more sophisticated use of color that involves pigment, chemistry and now biology. New to the market are blushes that use the skin’s chemistry to help the products achieve a natural flush—essentially, blush has become smarter.

Smashbox Cosmetics recently unveiled O-Glow, a blush incorporating a technology developed by The Color Factory Inc. The product claims to be a “microcirculating cheek color with goji berry-C complex.” It is said to react with an individual’s skin chemistry to turn the color that person blushes naturally.

The Makeup of the Makeup
James Joo, vice president of R&D for The Color Factory Inc., developed the product and explains its premise. “I tried to combine chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics and physical chemistry into one product,” said Joo.

According to Joo, the product is made up of four components: an energy source, antioxidants, a microcirculation enhancer and a pigment.