Cushion compact foundations are back with a snap.
If you had access to social media in 2025, you will have seen K-beauty brand TirTir’s oval-shaped Mask Fit Red Cushion, affectionately known by beauty insiders as “the red egg,” go viral.
Or maybe you noticed Sculpted By Aimee’s Cream Cushion Foundation launch, promising on-the-go glow
Not to mention new versions from Dior (Forever Hydra Glow) and Prada (Reveal Mesh Cushion Foundation).
From L’Oréal Paris’ new Infallible Cushion Foundation to Givenchy’s limited edition Couture Capsule Collection version, consumers seeking flawless complexions can rest assured the beauty industry has them covered.
But why are make-up brands plumping for cushions in 2026?
As the beauty sector evolves rapidly, the Cosmetics Business Innovation Awards aim to highlight the ideas redefining ingredients, packaging, sustainability, digital tech and consumer experience across the industry. Entries open now!
According to experts, renewed global appetite for K-beauty has fuelled this new wave, with the reasons remaining much the same as in the noughties when Amorepacific Group’s Iope launched the first Air Cushion in 2008.
“Cushion compacts…behave like treatment that happens to have coverage, not the other way round,” says Cheryl Morgan, Head of Marketing Europe and Global Marketing Communications at HCP Packaging.
“Because cushions naturally dose out ultra-thin layers, the format itself supports that ‘your skin, but calmer and more even’ look.”
“The cushion compact rose in the late 2000s, primarily through K-beauty, where consumers were already demanding speed, sensoriality and flawless skin without heaviness,” Nathasha Marquez, Head of Marketing at Texen and Quadpack, tells Cosmetics Business.
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available
ONLY to premium content subscribers.
Click below to get premium content on Cosmetics Business.
Already a subscriber?
Sign in here.
