skin care essentials Why Your Foundation and Moisturizer Pills, And How To Stop It

Have you ever applied your face makeup only to have to deal with your foundation balling up? This is called pilling and it occurs when products like moisturizer or foundation ball up as they’re being applied, resulting in flakes or globs of the formula on your skin. 

Pilling can happen in your skin care or makeup routines and it’s not fun, it’s not cute and no one wants to deal with it. If pilling products are getting in the way of your flawless makeup looks or skin care routine, it’s natural to wonder how you can put a stop to it. Keep reading to learn why your moisturizer and foundation ball up in the first place and our top tips for preventing pilling.

Why Does Your Foundation Keep Pilling?

In order to know how to handle pilling, you’ll need to identify the root of the problem. Typically, makeup and skin care pilling is caused when the formulas of the products you’re using are not compatible. 

Much like how water and oil repel each other, if you’re using an oil-based moisturizer and a water-based foundation — you’re likely to run into some problems. Piling can also occur when you layer products too quickly without giving them time to absorb.