What does professional makeup kit mean?

How is a professional makeup kit defined? What is the difference between professional kits and other makeup kits?

We often talk about professional makeup ranges and consumer makeup ranges in product training. What does this actually mean? Many makeup ranges use the term “PRO or professional”, so are these products specifically designed for professionals?

Reading time about 5 minutes

A professional makeup kit refers to product lines developed specifically for makeup artists. The products used at work need to be of high quality and work well, but there are also a few other things that a professional should consider before making a purchase.

Photo: BPerfect

Let's start with allergy issues. Although all cosmetics sold in the EU are strictly regulated, monitored and therefore safe, there are certain ingredients in cosmetics that cause more allergies than others.

These include, for example, fragrances and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.

Actors, performers and models wear make-up and make-up sometimes even every day of the week, and in this case the chemical load for one person can be considerably high. And of course, make-up alone is not enough, there is also a hairdresser working on site with their own products. On top of this, at least skin care and nail art, possibly perfume and other products are also applied.

It is of course the makeup artist's responsibility to ensure that the products are safe, but it is also wise to choose makeup for your work kit that does not contain ingredients that can easily cause allergies.

Makeup products for professionals are made using highly researched and low-sensitizing ingredients. We may remember the “paraben scandal” years ago, after which the text “paraben-free” appeared on many products. However, many products in professional series still contain parabens, as they are one of the most researched preservatives, and are also generally very well tolerated. Clicky headlines and trends almost never distract from the selection or content of professional series.

Things that again affect professional series products:

1. Legislation and its changes
2. Technological developments (for example, as the resolution of images and videos improved, finer-grained makeup products were developed)
3. Availability of raw materials
4. New research results

Next, let's look at the sizes of the products. Professionals use significantly more products, as they can apply up to dozens of makeup applications per day. In professional makeup sets, product sizes range from very small to very large.

Mini sizes are especially intended as “set bag” products for filming. Makeup artists for films and TV series often have a smaller makeup kit/makeup bag with them at work, which they take with them to the filming location for minor touch-ups.

Large sizes are more ecological and often also cheaper per kilo. When a makeup artist knows that a product will be used a lot, professional sets offer really large packaging sizes.

The shape of the packaging also matters. Professionals cannot apply any cream-like products directly from the jar for hygiene reasons. Therefore, the packaging must be such that the product can be applied hygienically using a spatula, applicator or palette.

When packing a makeup kit, you also have to take into account space and sometimes weight. That's why almost all products in professional sets are also available in palettes, discs and towers. 18 different shades of foundation fit in this way. There are also empty palettes and boxes on the market, which you can conveniently transfer the product to if the sales packaging is impractical.

There’s one more thing about packaging that can sometimes differentiate consumer makeup lines from professional makeup lines: the look of the product packaging. Professional product packaging isn’t necessarily that pretty. A few years ago, we asked Ben Nye about this, and he replied:

“We would rather put money into the product itself and its development than into the appearance of the product packaging.”

Photo: Ben Nye

Professional sets are less often sold in large cosmetics stores, so the packaging doesn't have to compete with neighboring jars with delicious or eye-catching packaging.

All professionals use products that they find to be the best in their work, regardless of whether the product in question is part of a professional or consumer makeup line. Nowadays, the differences between professional and consumer lines have also narrowed, and cosmetics are generally of much higher quality than they were a decade ago.

Many sets sold in department stores have adopted the term "pro" to refer to professionalism. However, this does not yet say anything about the quality or professionalism of the product. The use of the term pro is not regulated in any way, meaning that anyone can use the term in marketing.

Photo: BPerfect x Ellie Kelly

But as mentioned, everyone chooses the products that are best for themselves and their customers, regardless of whether the product is expensive or cheap, designed for professionals or sold in supermarkets. None of these alone make the products good or bad.

The Ben Nye line sold in our online store is a professional makeup line. Although BPerfect's products have received a lot of praise from professional makeup artists and we use them ourselves at work, the line is definitely more aimed at consumers. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that the foundations are sold in heavy glass bottles and most of the products are scented.