Why Corn Silk Powder is Better than an Instagram Filter

Joanna Douglas
·Senior Editor
Updated

Photo: Vermont Country Store

From Dove beauty bars to Ponds cold cream, the adored beauty products of the past remain popular classics in many households. Corn Silk, a face powder make popular in the 1960s, is experiencing a resurgence thanks to the soft, Instagram-ready finish it lends skin. Made with supernal walnut powder and real silk, the time-tested favorite is currently one of Amazon’s top 10 face powders, transcending the translucent coverage of more contemporary or HD formulas.

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On top of being super soft, Corn Silk absorbs excess oil, reduces shine, and doesn’t leave your skin looking powdered. It was revolutionary when it launched, standing out from other powders that looked muddy when mixed with foundation. Now a new generation is discovering Corn Silk, all in the name of the perfect selfie. Celebrity makeup artist Aimee Adams discovered the product at a pharmacy in Texas and has been using it on her famous clients for decades. “Back when I started doing make-up 26 years ago, I remember having this one particular photographer and he used to turn to me and say ‘Why do you look in sort of soft focus?” Adams told the Daily Mail. “And it was the powder. It looks like you’ve been filtered. It’s the kind of look people now try to get by using filters on Instagram.”

Adams says that despite the vast array of powders on the market, she’s found that her peers are all obsessed with the old school product. “I don’t meet other make-up artists all that often, but when I do they always ask me what’s your desert island product and I tell them it’s Corn Silk. So many of them go ‘Oh my God, mine too.’”

While Corn Silk had been hard to come by in recent years, you can buy it today on Amazon for $14.95 (hurry, there are just a few left in stock!) or the Vermont Country Store for $24.95 in a loose or pressed powder version. And you may want to ask your mother or grandmother to recommend more of her old beauty favorites. While the cosmetic industry is fueled by innovation, sometimes they just don’t make ‘em like they used to!

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