Dusting powders are the body care secret to staying fresh all day

If your nan’s dressing table had a little pot of pink powder with an oversized puff beside it, chances are you’ve already met beauty’s most nostalgic comeback: dusting powder. Once seen as sign of old-school glam, body powder is back - and TikTok is obsessed. Lush just dropped its iconic take on the trend including festive edition release, Fairy Dust and Sticky Dates - in dusting powder form. Beauty obsessives are patting them them under their arms, across their décolletage, and even behind their knees after a shower. The goal? To smell like a dream and stay fresh all day.

© Pintrest

What is dusting powder?

So, what exactly is dusting powder? It's simply a finely milled body powder that absorbs excess moisture while leaving skin soft, silky and with a subtle scent. Before deodorant sprays and roll-ons were a body care must-have, women relied on thes powders to stay cool and dry - especially in the summer. Think of it as an chic  hybrid between body lotion and dry shampoo. 

The recent popularity online makes total sense. In a beauty world obsessed with body care layering - lotions, mists, oils and perfumes - dusting powder just feels like the perfect addition. It seals in scent and mattifies your skin. It’s also for the people who love a  and leaves a delicious lingering scent. 

How to use dusting powder 

On TikTok, creators are praising the dusting powder for keeping skin “baby soft” and smelling “like candy clouds all day”. Others are using it as a post shower ritual - dusting it across the chest, thighs and arms before slipping into their PJ's for the perfect night sleep. As for application, you can apply the powder with an oversized puff or with your hands if you find it more comfortable. 

But this isn’t just a new discovery. As noted, dusting powders date back to the Victorian era which was a  time period where they were actually considered essential to feminine grooming. Hollywood starlets of the ‘50s used them to stay looking their best. While luxury houses like Chanel and Guerlain bottled them in ornate jars that looked too pretty to hide away. Now, with beauty trends circling back to detailed rituals and layering, it’s no wonder we’re all obsessed with dusting powder all over again.

Do dusting powders include talc? 

Back in it's hey-day, dusting powders were made with talc. However, in recent years, the ingredient has faced controversy due to concerns about potential asbestos contamination. Following this, Cancer Research UK and the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, still say that asbestos-free talc is considered safe. However, many beauty brands have chosen to leave it out of their products all together, favouring plant-based or mineral alternatives such as cornstarch. Thankfully, a lot of the newly released  dusting powders, including those trending on TikTok, are talc-free. They still give that same soft finish but  but with cleaner ingredients. It's a win! 

Here are the best talc-free dusting powders to add to your body care ritual:

How we chose:

• Performance and personal testimony: The best dusting powderss chosen below are products that our beauty writer, Aaliyah Harry, personally rates.  

• High performance and consistent use: All the picks selected have been used consistently and as a beauty writer who is well informed, they have all been selected carefully. The products vary, spanning from high street to luxury buys but are united in the fact that they are all high-performing products.