The Beauty Industry Is Obsessed with Milk—and Your Skin Is Reaping the Benefits

Hot on the heels of the alternative milk boom at your local coffee shop, the skin-care industry has seen its own wave of milk-laden products as of late. From cleansers and toners to essences and night creams, there seems to be no shortage of ways to add a milky texture to your beauty regimen. But why? Are there any tangible benefits to using a milk-based formula as opposed to oil or water? Or is this just another clever marketing ploy?

“Milk has been used for the skin for centuries, even dating back to reports of Cleopatra applying milk to her skin,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick. “Milk in general is a natural skin softener and can be soothing, hydrating, and help support the skin [since] it contains proteins and calcium.” She also cites the presence of lactic acid in cow’s and goat’s milk, which helps to gently exfoliate the skin, while vitamins A, B, and D protect against free-radical damage. Milky products are also ideal for anyone dealing with sensitive or reactive skin (especially for eczema) or if you’re dealing with a bit of sun damage—Dr. Garshick even recommends cold milk compresses to aid in sunburn healing.

But like the rise of oat, soy, and almond milk lattes, not every milky product contains the same ingredients. As Tamerri Ater, product development director at Versed, explains, “Ironically, many ‘milky’ beauty products on the market do not actually contain milk, but instead speak to the form and/or color of the formula reminiscent of milk. Versed is a vegan brand, so we don’t use any animal-derived ingredients. Our Baby Cheeks All-In-One Hydrating Milk contains hydrating and replenishing ingredients like coconut water, algae, and bamboo extract, and is a beautiful translucent color. So you get the soothing benefits of a product with milk, without using actual animal-derived milk.”

Ater has also seen milky products formulated with both cow’s and goat’s milk, along with oat and almond options, which raises the question: How do you prevent these types of formulas from going bad? “There are products that contain actual milk powder with preservatives that are regularly used in beauty products such as phenoxyethanol, which is safe to use at concentrations under one percent,” she says. So no, you don’t need to store your products in the refrigerator if you don’t want to (although it can help reduce some facial puffiness).

All in all, if you’re in the market for a super gentle, deeply hydrating, and conveniently trendy product (which means you’ll see lots of new formulations over the next few months), milk skin care seems to be an excellent option.