Beauty
What’s the Difference Between Loose Powder and Pressed Powder?
Find out which product can provide the kind of coverage you want.
by Kyla Villena
Published on May 15, 2025
One of the ways you can ensure that your makeup lasts all day is by setting it with powder. Given that there are so many options available in the market, it can get overwhelming to study or decide which one you actually need. Today, we examine the differences between the two common types: the loose powder and the pressed powder.
They share similarities in the way they can be used to set your makeup, to control shine and mattify your skin, and to extend the wear time of your look. However, they have numerous differences too, such as how they’re formulated, packaged, and applied. As with any skincare and makeup product, it’s essential to build your routine according to your skin type. When it comes to powders, there’s no one right answer. It depends on your preferences and desired results, which makes it more important to get to know what certain products are actually used for.
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Loose Powder
Loose powder pertains to a finely milled face powder that usually comes in a tub. Its ingredients list can contain oil, but you’ll rarely find water in it, and that gives it a long shelf life. Loose powder provides little to no coverage, making it an ideal choice to set your liquid makeup without adding an extra layer. Given its sheer effect, loose powder primarily blurs skin texture and gives it that soft-focus finish, making the skin look more even (especially when you’re in front of a camera).
Apart from setting liquid makeup, loose powder can also be used for other purposes. One of them is to bake your makeup. In case you’re unfamiliar, baking means using a slightly damp sponge to press loose powder on the areas of your face that you’d like to shape or illuminate. Afterwards, you let the powder sit on your skin for a few minutes before dusting it off. This is mostly done under the eyes, helping prevent the products from fading and settling into lines.
Loose powder is typically translucent, but tinted options are available as well. This makes it capable of neutralizing discoloration and brightening the skin. Depending on what you’re using it for, loose powder can be applied with a brush, a powder puff, a beauty blender, or a sponge.
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The Best Loose Powders to Try
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Pressed Powder
Pressed powder is also finally milled, but given its name, it is pressed into a cosmetic pan with force and pressure. As compared to loose powder, pressed powder may be slightly less durable when it comes to shelf life because it contains more oils and dry binders. However, being densely packed and having these ingredients is what makes it provide more coverage. It’s the way to go for shine control. You can apply it all over the face or on specific areas that you want to mattify. Pressed powder tends to come in a wider shade range, too, and with some being formulated to provide full coverage, you can use it in place of liquid foundation.
The compact packaging of pressed powder also makes it more portable. It usually comes with an applicator like a sponge or a powder puff (although it can also be applied using a brush), making it great for on-the-go retouches throughout your day.
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The Best Pressed Powders to Try
TLDR:
So Should You Go for Loose Powder or Pressed Powder?
Loose powder acts more like a veil that goes on top of your makeup to set liquid products, blur your skin texture, and give you a flawless finish.
On the other hand, pressed powder typically provides more coverage, mattifies the skin and controls shine, and serves as the on-the-go choice for touch-ups.
Depending on your needs for your beauty look of the day, now you know which powder will do the trick for you!
Kyla Villena loves a good lip gloss and a trip to the art gallery. She is Preview's beauty girl, who doubles as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.