Doughnut skin, dewy dumpling skin, glass skin... whether doughy or double-glazed, the past couple of years have seen the beauty space frenetically searching for the best way to achieve the most luminous complexion. Despite a return to other Noughties beauty trends, matte skin has stayed out of favour, while the desire for glowier and dewier complexions has continued to climb.
What's next? In a further refinement of our collective gleaming skin obsession, we've entered the era of 'butter skin'. Google searches for the trend have soared by 300 per cent in the past month, with 'how to recreate the look' tutorials proliferating across social media platforms. While glowy skin has been the look du jour for the past few years, butter skin is another trending moment in the 'foodification' of beauty.
To find out more about the trend, we spoke to two skin and make-up experts to decode butter skin, and what it actually means for your beauty routine.
The trend: What is butter skin?
Like its dewy culinary-inspired predecessors, butter skin promotes a multi-step approach of skincare and make-up to produce the desired finish. "Butter skin focuses on achieving a complexion that is ultra-smooth, plump, and deeply hydrated, resembling the softness and richness of butter," says Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, skin expert and founder of ZKIN and the Adonia Medical Clinic.
"It has its origins in Korean skincare philosophy, where deeply hydrating the skin and strengthening the skin barrier is a primary focus," she explains. "However, it's gained traction as people want to move towards a more balanced, long-term approach to skin health."
The tools: Best skincare products for butter skin
The key to achieving buttery, plump skin lies predominently in the preparation. Loading up on hydrating, dewy skincare will create the ideal canvas to layer coverage over the top.
"Focus on a hydration-first approach while reinforcing the skin barrier," says Dr Ejikeme. "A skincare routine should prioritise gentle cleansing, hydration layering, barrier repair, and protection with SPF."
Keep a particular eye out for products that will nourish, smooth and increase moisture in the skin; ingredients such as ceramides, fatty acids, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin in moisturisers and serums will help to plump the skin's surface. Look to lactic acid and PHAs to gently exfoliate without stripping hydration from the skin, while squalane-infused oils as will help to lock in moisture as a final step.
"There are no quick fixes, the key is consistency and layering. Butter skin is essentially about maintaining healthy, hydrated, and resilient skin over time," says Dr Ejikeme.
Her recommendations include washing skin using a non-stripping cleanser that promotes skin barrier health, such as CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser, before exfoliating with a "gentle PHA-based toner like Glow Recipe PHA + BHA Toner to smooth texture without irritation," which can be done every day if your skin can tolerate it, but otherwise make it a biweekly habit.
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner
Summer Fridays Jet Lag Deep Hydration Serum
Skinceuticals Triple Lipid Restore For Ageing Skin
Dr. Barbara Sturm Dr. Barbara Sturm Ceramide Drops Face Oil
Look for super hydrating serums, and seal in nourishing ingredients with moisturiser; "a ceramide-rich option like SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore will reinforce the skin’s barrier", adds Dr Ejikeme. Finish off your morning skincare routine with a dewy SPF, which will protect you from sun damage and enhance a glowing finish.
Augustinus Bader The Sunscreen SPF50
Tatcha The Silk Sunscreen SPF50
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 30
Best make-up products for butter skin
Once your skin is drenched with moisture, you can add the final touches with make-up. We say final touches, because your skincare preparation should be doing most of the work when it comes to achieving butter skin; any additional make-up should ideally be light and considered, acting to complement the dewiness that's already been laid down, according to make-up artist and Vieve founder Jamie Genevieve.
"It's all about skin that looks really hydrated, almost like you want to touch it, skin that looks juicy and plump," Genevieve explains.
"Focus on perfecting skin, but not completely covering it up. It's less about layering on heavy foundation and more about the skin prep underneath and using products in a really mindful way."
Vieve Skin Nova
Saie Glowy Super Gel
Sisley-Paris Instant Eclat Glow Primer
To that end, Genevieve recommends beginning with a hydrating, glowy primer and following up with a concealer or foundation (depending on how much coverage you want) with a luminous finish. There's an influx of lightweight, skin-infused base products on offer to suit every skin type, and finding something that sits well with your own skin and gives you the coverage you desire is key to achieving a 'buttery' complexion.
Genevieve loves pairing Vieve Skin Nova primer, a golden-hued formula proven to increase hydration in the skin by 202 per cent, with the Complexion Balm, which offers a natural, buildable coverage with a radiant finish.
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint
Vieve Skin Nova Complexion Balm
A highlighter is another key element of this look, but Genevieve underlines the importance of opting for a product with a more natural, diffused finish, rather than anything too stark or prominent on the skin (it needs to blend with your base rather than appearing as a stripe over cheekbones).
"Think shining a light on a block of melting butter; that's the glow", says Genevieve, citing this as the look you want your highlighter to mimic. She recommends using cream or liquid formulas, which will blend seamlessly into your base and give a subtle lit-from-within luminosity (steer clear of anything too glittery).
When it comes to tools, Genevieve loves using her fingers and a singular brush to achieve this look. A dense foundation brush is an important player for achieving a buttery, blended finish, as Genevieve explains below.
The technique: How to get butter skin
Make-up selected, Genevieve has some advice when it comes to application. First, she prefers applying primer with her hands to warm up the formula and ensure the product melts into the skin.
Then, she recommends a slightly unconventional approach for applying the rest; "For my foundation, cream bronzer, and highlighter, I'll use the same brush and barely clean it off in between," she says. "There's something about the way that the products mix on the brush that makes the application really seamless."
Blush and bronzer placement can be left up to personal preference, as it's the highlighter that really seals in the buttery essence of this look. "I apply colour on the high point of my cheekbones, but I also apply a little bit around my jaw and a little bit on my forehead," Genevieve explains.
"Then, instead of just blending in those areas, I take my foundation brush and really buff it into the skin. It adds a layer of glow to the places that light naturally hits."
She recommends finishing the look and adding longevity with a dewy setting spray, avoiding powder if possible or only dusting it very lightly in areas where oiliness appears throughout the day. Relatively straightforward, this look can be achieved when in a rush, yet still looks polished.
For more butter-skin adjacent reading, find out how to achieve glowing skin, and shop the best Bazaar-approved highlighters here.
