Got Milk? It’s Skincare’s Biggest Trend Right Now

July 2 | 4 minute read

Words by Christie Sinclair

Just when you thought you’d finally nailed the whole glass skin thing (or was it cloud skin?) another complexion craze spills over to every one of your feeds.

Skin milk, a milky toner-meets-essence-meets-moisturiser hybrid, has become the step everyone’s adding to their routine to achieve soft, supple, incredibly sheeny skin.

You can blame Hailey Bieber for this one. Ever since she debuted that now iconic ‘glazed donut’ skin, we’ve all been hyper-fixated on achieving that same ridiculously smooth, glossy visage by drenching our skin in these creamy, comforting formulas.

But before you slip a skin milk into your routine, here’s what you need to know...

What Exactly Is A Skin Milk?

Despite the name, skin milks (as the internet has coined them) don’t actually contain any milk at all. It’s all about the texture – they're smooth and silky, designed to coat your skin barrier like a dewy little protective blanket. Usually, these formulas deliver hydrating humectants and soothing ingredients in spades, without the heaviness of a traditional moisturiser.

Sasha Plavic, Brand Founder of ILIA, likes to think of them as a “cross between an essence and a lightweight moisturiser.”

“It has soothing properties and redness reduction on application,” she tells us, referring to ILIA’s The Base Face Milk. “So, if you have any rosacea or kind of skin concerns, it will immediately soothe and smooth the skin and reduce redness. We have four types of hyaluronic acid in there, so it really helps to plump up the skin and get it ready for makeup application.”

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They’re Actually Not New

Before skin milks became the internet's new obsession, French makeup artist Violette had already turned her everyday moisturiser into a featherlight, spray-on formula that feels like a mist and moisturises like a face mask. Demand for her Boum-Boum Milk was sky-high and today – thanks to its supercharged soothing, hydrating and smoothing abilities packed into a very convenient format – it remains one of her brand VIOLETTE_FR’s most beloved products.

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Skin Milks Are Going Viral, Again

Right now, #BeautyTok is frothing over the way this toner-like product adds a layer of hydration instantly without feeling heavy on the skin. So why are skin milks having a moment all over again?

“They’re super versatile,” Emily Harris, MECCA MAX’s Product Development Manager tells us. “Skin milks offer a flexible way to boost moisture across a variety of skin types. For oily, combination, or blemish-prone skin, they provide a lightweight yet effective moisture boost. For drier skin, they serve as a perfect layering or top-up option, delivering added hydration whenever it's needed throughout the day.”

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How To Use A Skin Milk

Plavic applies a skin milk before anything else. “It kind of helps to prep the skin add that boost of hydration and almost create a bit of a barrier against whatever's going to come next,” she says. “I always make sure the face milk's on first to kind of act like a buffer, and then after I go when with our barrier cream to seal it.” But their lightweight texture also makes them perfect for topping up on hydration throughout the day, under or over makeup.

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The Best Skin Milks at MECCA

Now you’ve got the skinny on skin milks, it’s time to find the formula that suits you. Here are our favourites right now...

Tatcha The Dewy Milk Moisturizer

Dewy Skin Cream is perhaps Tatcha’s most famous product – and for good reason. But for some, explains Daniel Martin, Tatcha’s Global Director of Artistry, it was too rich for their combination-oily skin. “We wanted to give this customer the dewy glow experience in a lightweight format that supports their skin concerns,” he explains, adding, “This formula delivers the same dewy glow as our Dewy Skin Cream but in a lightweight, milky moisturizer format.”

The new Dewy Milk Moisturizer delivers that much-loved Tatcha glow along with balanced hydration thanks to a combination of zinc hyaluronate (it helps to balance excess oil while delivering essential yet lightweight hydration), prebiotic green tea (to activate the skin's own glow) and Japanese purple rice (for hydrating, antioxidant protection from free radical damage). “The results are two times more skin bounce instantly and weightless, all-day glow,” says Martin.

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VIOLETTE_FR Boum-Boum Milk

This clever 3-in-1 spritz-on skin prep is a minimalist's dream. A couple of pumps directly onto the skin after cleansing instantly balances like a toner, treats with a cocktail of soothing ingredients (including fermented birch sap and glacial water), and boosts your barrier like a rich moisturiser, effectively replacing the need for a host of skincare products. Boum-Boum Milk is particularly practical for travel, Violette tells us. “I don’t touch skin with my hands [while flying], I'm very careful,” explains the French makeup artist. “My little one also has very dry skin like me and is eczema-prone, so I’m constantly spraying her with Boum-Boum. I just love that you can spray and not touch your face - there are no germs like with hand application.”

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MECCA MAX MILK IT Soothing Moisture Mist

The newest product to join MECCA MAX’s skincare lineup, this lightweight, milky mist packs a hydrating punch with its cocktail of moisturising, barrier-boosting ingredients: cica (Centella Asiatica), niacinamide, squalane and Aloe Vera. In developing the MECCA MAX Skin range, one of the brand's key goals is to create hydrating products that perform well on the skin, especially for makeup wearers, explains Harris. “The new MILK IT Soothing Moisture Mist pairs perfectly with the THIRST IMPRESSION Moisturiser and CHILL OUT Eye Cream, making them the ideal trio for an easy and effective three-step skincare routine.”

The specially developed formula combined with the ultra-fine mist format can also be used on top of makeup to refresh your skin throughout the day. “Creating a lightweight and even mist was really important for us to nail so that it wouldn't ruin makeup during application,” Harris adds. While the soothing ingredients are perfect for those with skin on the sensitive side.

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ILIA The Base Face Milk

“It's so comforting... it really feels like you're throwing a glass of milk on your face,” says Plavic of her brand’s beloved Base Face Milk. We couldn’t agree more! Inspired by the light, jelly textures favoured in Korean skincare, Plavic sought to create a milky serum that would take the place of multiple products while feeling weightless and comforting on the skin.

The watery formula includes ceramides, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and plant-powered ingredients to strengthen the skin barrier and lock in moisture without the heavy feeling of a traditional moisturiser. “I would say it's my favourite product,” she explains. “It's just you know when I wash my face in the morning or come out of the shower the first thing I put on is Base Face Milk and the same thing at night, it just feels like a really nice refreshing kiss on the skin.”