Smashbox Cosmetics’  Photo Finish Primer is a cult favorite that I haven’t tried until now…and I am glad I didn’t spend any cash on it! I’ve heard around the grapevine that this primer is either amazing or will break you out. I pulled it out a few weeks ago and started using it every time I put on makeup. At first, I didn’t see any issues because I don’t wear makeup every day. Then, last week when I had events back to back, wearing makeup all day for multiple days in a row, my skin fought back. I woke up with three zits along my jawline, one on my chin, one on my forehead, and one on my cheek. That makes 6 pimples! I haven’t had that bad of a breakout in what seems like years. I was shocked! The only culprit could have been this primer, because it’s the only thing I’ve changed that I’ve used in all of those locations. These weren’t nice little small pimples, these were huge whiteheads that I couldn’t get rid of easily. So after tossing that sample out, I checked out the ingredients:

Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Trisiloxane, Silica, Dimethicone/ Vinyldimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Water (Aqua, Eau), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Cola Acuminata Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract.

The first ingredient, Cyclopentasiloxane, is the culprit of my skin problems. I know that it is a part of the silicone family, a group of ingredients that are conditioning. Silicones are frequently found in hair and skin products. I don’t know why it breaks skin out, but it is a common thread between loads of products breaking people’s skin out. Blogger Pink Sith posted about the ingredient & how it caused acne problems for her as well. Like her, I don’t have issues with other silicones (i.e. dimethicone), but there’s something with Cyclopentasiloxane. I have a feeling it’s the fact that it ends with -xane instead of -cone. So from now on, I’ll be sticking with the cones!

So, to clear this all up…If you don’t have acne prone skin, check this primer out, because it won’t irritate you (hopefully). I think I’ll be great for aging skin that doesn’t typically break out. Now chime in, have you had any bad experiences with this primer, or other products with Cyclopentasiloxane? Let me know in the comments!

Quality Control is a series dedicated to products that don’t work (for myself). In the reviews I will explain my experience with said product & try to narrow down the offending ingredients to educate on what ingredients to look out for.