What's the Deal With Green Setting Powders?
We talked to beauty experts about the controversial product that’s popping up everywhere.
Setting powders are a staple in our routines, so when the brands that make our favorite ones start dreaming up colorful new shades, we have no choice but to take note. Particularly, both Huda Beauty and Laura Mercier unveiled green versions of their cult-favorite loose setting powders. For many TikTok users, the products raised tons of questions — the most urgent being: does anyone really need a green setting powder?
Simply put, green setting powders are meant to cancel out redness. Similarly to how pink powders aim to brighten and orange powders promise to neutralize discoloration, green setting powders speak to a specific use case. Shanzey Al-Amin, the sales and education manager at Sephora Collection, says that beauty fans that deal with rosacea, acne and skin sensitivity regularly rely on green complexion products to neutralize their skin. “When used correctly, they don’t read green on the skin. Instead, they create a more balanced, even-toned finish while still allowing the natural complexion to show through,” she tells Hypebae.
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While the introduction of green powders might raise a few eyebrows, beauty experts say they’re nothing new in the world of color correction. At the same time, Al-Amin finds that the current influx of green setting powders speaks majorly to the current state of beauty. “We’re seeing a shift from heavy coverage to strategic correction. Green setting powders tap into a more refined, skin-focused approach where the goal isn’t to mask redness with layers of foundation, but to neutralize it seamlessly,” she tells Hypebae. “With the rise of ‘second skin’ makeup and viral routines focused on minimal base, these powders feel both innovative and aligned with the current aesthetic.”
Naturally, green powders have sparked a fair amount of debate on TikTok. While some users maintain that the product isn’t inclusive to all skin tones, others argue that it’s simply intended for a specific audience. “A lot of color correcting products are marketed as universal but really only work on fair and maybe medium skin tones which feels limiting,” celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard says. While false claims of universality is undoubtedly frustrating, green setting powders fundamentally seek to cancel out redness.
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Because of this, Spickard notes that green complexion products aren’t your average TikTok beauty trend — rather, they exist for a singular purpose. “I do think with green powders, people are trying to use it the same way they use the [viral] pink powder, and the use case is just different. It can’t be used like other loose setting powders to brighten under the eyes. It really is a corrective product with a specific use case,” he tells Hypebae.
Although it’s disappointing to know that a buzzy product might not be made with everyone in mind, makeup educator Rose Siard says that it’s just a matter of finding the right products to address your specific concerns. “I can understand people’s frustration when a product doesn’t necessarily apply to their needs. Everyone is addressing something different. We just have to understand [what the products] are actually for,” she says.
