Makeup for Tropical Skin — What Works in Bangkok, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City

The majority of beauty content online — tutorials, product reviews, application techniques — was created for temperate climates with low humidity and moderate temperatures. If you are doing your makeup in Bangkok, Bali or Ho Chi Minh City, you are working with different conditions and, often, different skin. Here is what I have learned works for Southeast Asian skin in Southeast Asian weather.

Southeast Asian skin — what makes it different

Southeast Asian skin, broadly speaking, tends to produce more oil than skin in cooler, drier climates. This is partly genetic and partly environmental — heat and humidity stimulate the sebaceous glands.

This means that formulas designed for dry or normal skin in European conditions can feel heavy, occlusive and breakout-prone when used in Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City. Moisturisers that are luxurious in London can feel suffocating in a tropical summer.

It also means that oily skin — and combination skin with a pronounced oily T-zone — is extremely common across the region. Acne, enlarged pores and shine control are the skin concerns I hear most frequently from students and clients across Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The right foundation formula

In tropical conditions, foundation formula matters more than coverage level.

Formulas to approach carefully in Southeast Asia: heavy, full-coverage foundations with high silicone content. These do not breathe well in heat and tend to slide, patch and oxidise.

Formulas that perform well: water-based foundations, skin tints with buildable coverage, mineral powder foundations for oily skin, and serum-foundation hybrids that feel lightweight and allow the skin to regulate.

Build coverage where you need it — under the eyes, over blemishes, around any redness — using a concealer on top of your base. This is more flexible and more comfortable than trying to achieve full coverage from a single heavy foundation.