Skincare guru Douglas Pereira reveals to Anita Quade how his launch of mineral makeup is the ideal extension of a client’s skincare regime.
Anita Quade: Tell us about the launch of your incredible mineral makeup range.
Douglas Pereira: “When I first launched my cosmeceutical skincare brand ‘Douglas Pereira Skin Health’ over a decade ago, I always knew I would include a mineral makeup collection. I believe makeup is an extension of your skincare and should not cause harm to the good work your skincare products are doing.”
Can you share with us the process?
“The ‘Douglas Pereira Mineral’ collection of makeup has been a long but exciting process, a couple of years ago we first launched the Skin fluid tint SPF in three shades, a lightweight tinted moisturiser with SPF 30+, that provides the skin with a foundation type coverage, that balances skin texture and evens out colour tone, without feeling like a heavy traditional foundation or a thin non coverage tint.
In early 2022 we launched phase two, the first four fluid colour makeup products consisting of two cheek colours, an illuminator and an all over face bronzer. Each of the products are a sheer liquid, fluid consistency allowing the true mineral colour pigment to illuminate, define and provide the skin with a flush of colour, enhancing one’s own natural beauty.”
You have your signature skincare line and we have often discussed how makeup can be an extension of client’s skincare regime – tell us about this?
“Before being a skincare and makeup creator, my experience comes from nearly 30 years as a skin therapist and educator in the industry. I have educated, treated, and supported many clients in achieving optimal skin health. I am always challenged by the concept of clients investing in good quality, result driven, active skincare and professional treatments to achieve their skin goals, but then use synthetic, toxic, chemical-based makeup over the top of their skincare regime.
A lot of the ingredients that are used in makeup can be damaging, ageing and sometimes over time quite toxic to the user and can cause skin challenges like acne, dryness, skin irritations and sensitivity. All the challenges we use skincare to treat.”
How have you advised your clients on using mineral makeup as part of their overall regime?
“I have always recommended my clients to use a good quality mineral-based makeup instead of traditional makeup products. As true mineral makeup should be formulated with pure mineral pigments and supportive ingredients. When we were formulating the range, I also wanted the products to treat the skin not just add colour and even out skin tone.
So, within the formulations we also included skin treating actives in the form of technologically advanced biomimetic collagen and immune boosting peptides, potent vitamins and antioxidants as well as a compounded of platinum calibre zinc. This tightly knitted mesh of ingredients supports, calms and guards against premature ageing. Making the mineral makeup collection good for your skin and an extension of clients skincare regime.”
The colours and consistency are incredible, I love the rosy hue in skin fluid cheeks – how do you go about perfecting the final product?
“The process of formulating the mineral makeup was, as always, a collaboration between my formulator and myself. Just like any formulation we develop it starts with a list of outcomes we want to achieve, but most importantly what effect and results will the formulation have on the skin and what will the experience be like for the user.
When we were formulating the mineral makeup, we wanted to achieve super lightweight fluid textures with strong colour pigments, we wanted the products to feel like you were not wearing any makeup but still give you coverage.
The formulation process was definitely a long and arduous one due to the goals of what we wanted to achieve. Working with super fine mineral compounds, zinc and fusing active ingredients into a refined wearable fluid did pose it challenges. It was basically a process of trial and error, many formulation batches and lots of makeup application testing on our human guinea pigs were done until we achieved our ideal formulation. And still even today after perfecting the formulations we still are in the lab making the formulations even better and always striving for excellence.”
“I am always challenged by the concept of clients investing in good quality, result driven, active skincare and professional treatments to achieve their skin goals, but then use synthetic, toxic, chemical-based makeup over the top of their skincare regime.”
Mineral makeup has come a long way since a decade ago – how have you seen it develop?
“I was first introduced to mineral makeup in the early 2000s by Mandy Gray of True Solutions international, when she started to distribute the Bare Minerals makeup collection — they started formulation mineral makeup back in the mid-eighties. Instantly I was hooked and a big advocate for mineral makeup, it made sense.
Back then mineral makeup was only available in a powder form and was a little messy to use and not all skins suited a powder. Now we can see minerals used in all forms from liquid foundations, tints, face colour and lip products. Mineral makeup has become more user friendly and versatile.
In the last decade or so we see an array of new mineral makeup brands hit the market as well as the big brands launching their own mineral collections. This has been great for the consumer. But unfortunately, when I look at the ingredients that make up the formulations with some of these brands, I become confused. They are promoting a pure mineral makeup but in fact they have formulated the same synthetic, chemical-based product, with some minerals within the formulation. This really defeats the benefits of a mineral makeup. A true mineral makeup formulation should be free of all synthetic, toxic, chemical-based ingredients.”
What has the feedback been like to your mineral makeup?
“It has been positive, clients are loving using the collection. They love the lightweight texture, strong colour pigments and how the makeup feels on the skin. The two biggest comments I receive is how the products give the skin an instant luminosity and how much coverage they get without feeling like they have a layer of makeup on their face.”
Can we expect to see any additions to the line – such as lipstick in the near future?
“I will be developing more products in the collection over the coming years. First, I will be expanding the skin fluid cheek colour range with a few new colours, following that I am contemplating a collection of lip tints and fluid eye colours.”
You have worked with an incredible formulator for years tell us about that?
“I am very transparent in saying my background is not in cosmetic formulating and that I draw experience for my many years treating skin and education in the industry. So, when I embarked on the adventure to develop and launch my own skincare brand, I need to find a formulator that understood my needs and philosophy.
My formulator is one of the key attributes in the success of my brand. Over the last 12 years the two of us have worked very closely in forming an amazing relationship both professionally and personally. We both share the same philosophies and beliefs on skincare, have the same high standards and we just love formulating products that transform the skin’s health.
Over the years, through our collaborative process I have gained so much knowledge and experience about products and product formulating. I feel so lucky to have found the perfect formulator all those years ago.”
Where do you find inspiration for your brand?
“As I still treat clients in my flagship clinic in Sydney just a couple of days a week, I find a lot of my inspiration in the treatment room or in consultation with my clients is just having a conversation about skin. What better place to get inspiration and discover the needs of people’s skin than in a practical setting with the user of my products.
But over the last few years since the pandemic commenced, I have really opened my eyes to the world that we live in and realised, that to have a brand that the consumer invests their hard-earned money into, means I need to really understand my consumers life, lifestyle and how today’s modern and ever evolving society plays a part in their skin needs and purchasing capabilities.
I feel the changes we are facing in today’s society with climate change, social culture and economic challenges all play a part in forming my brand and provide inspiration.”
What is one of your favourite parts of developing skincare and mineral makeup?
“It’s simple: creating products that achieve transformational results for the user.”
You always have so many visionary plans on the boil – can you share with us any major developments for your brand in 2023?
“It is going to be a big year for the brand. I have a couple new ranges launching throughout the year. In April I will be launching a line extension in the Douglas Pereira Skin Health range, it’s called the Platinum Peptide collection and includes three new 99% peptide serums one for day, one for night and an eye serum, but that is all I can say for now.
The biggest news for 2023 is, I will be launching my secondary range of products called Douglas Pereira Skin Science. The new range is a simpler concept to its sister range “Douglas Pereira Skin Health”. The range will consist of 13 universal skin type products and be priced at a lower price point than the DP Skin Health range, but will keep the high-quality formulations and delivery system found in DP Skin Health.”
If we didn’t find you as a skincare creator/entrepreneur what would we find you doing?
“It’s hard to say because I have been doing what I do for so long and I love it. I don’t think I can see myself doing anything else. But to answer the question, I do have a passion for graphic design and do a lot of my own design work for my brand so possibly in another lifetime a graphic designer or something creative.”
This article first appeared in the January-February 2023 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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