A few months ago I was sitting at a hockey game when my forehead became extremely itchy. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening so I just left it alone. Within 15 minutes I had tiny little bumps all over my forehead. I washed my face before bed as usual, didn’t think much of it, and woke up in the morning to the most painful and intense rash on my face. I had never seen anything like it.
Let me preface this by saying I am very lucky to have a good complexion, so bumps on my face were out of the norm. I have a pimple here or there, but for the most part acne and breakouts are not something I struggle with. I will say that I had worked so hard to fix my skin post pregnancy from pigmentation, melasma, and sun damage.
The Initial Reaction from Dior Forever Foundation (Night 1)
Disclaimer: If you are sensitive to details about skin, pimples, etc. I think this is where you should stop!
The rash was so painful, and I had about 50 white heads on my forehead. The next day it increased to about 75. I couldn’t believe it. Lightly touching my skin would cause them to burst. I made sure to leave them alone because I was extremely nervous to damage my forehead all over again. I was finally loving my skin and then this happened. I was beginning to realize this was not just a 24 hour rash and started to panic.
The Next Morning:
Sometimes it was itchy and sometimes it just burned like crazy. I instantly went into detective mode and started trying to discover what caused this to flare up. Initially I was thinking it was some towels we had used when we were traveling. Maybe I had washed my face and dried it with a towel that had some mildew on it.
There was an event that I had already committed to going to on day 3 of this situation so I threw on a hat and put foundation on my skin everywhere except for where the rash was. I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist, and left the event early to go to the appointment.
On my way to the dermatologist hopeful for a quick fix for my Dior Forever Foundation allergic reaction:
First of all I am so thankful that they were able to squeeze me in. It typically takes a long time to get into a good dermatologist here. I was told I most likely had folliculitus, which is a common skin condition in which hair follicles become inflamed. (It’s usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. At first it may look like small red bumps or white-headed pimples around hair follicles.) That’s one of the hard things about dermatology. Obviously they can’t take one look at your skin and know exactly what you did that caused your problem, which makes sense but is also not what I wanted to hear. We also noticed that the rash was starting to come down onto my cheeks and chin. One thing they asked me was what new products I had been using. The only real change was my foundation, but they said that couldn’t be it since I had been using it for a week. I was prescribed an antibiotic, hydrocortisone and clindamycin phosphate gel.
It’s an interesting thing going from never worrying about your skin to feeling self conscious about it. My confidence took a dive and although I tried to keep a positive attitude about it, I would get emotional about it every once in a while. I have such a soft spot now for people who are struggling with balancing their skin and who are struggling with acne. As I was feeding Paige that night I got into a dark hole of researching skin reactions. In the back of my head I kept thinking of all of the products I had been using on my skin, and I kept wondering if maybe it was the Dior Forever Foundation I had been trying. I felt like it would be weird to be using a product for a week and then have a reaction that showed up in an instant. You will NOT BELIEVE what I found. A YouTube video titled “THIS LUXURY FOUNDATION RUINED MY SKIN.” I instantly clicked on it and the video could not load fast enough.
**Update to my story: I receive a few messages per month of people going through the same thing. At least one per month with a reaction from Dior foundation!**
SHUT UP. This poor girl had the exact reaction I had! I had finally solved the case and I was IN SHOCK. I’ve never had sensitive skin and have never really had to pay attention to what I’m putting on my skin. As I read more and more, multiple women have had this happen to them from Dior foundation! What. The. Hell. How is this still on the market? I will say the Dior Forever foundation looked DAMN good on my skin and went onto my skin like no other foundation I had ever used before. Unfortunately I’m not sure what exact ingredient in the Dior Forever Foundation caused the problem, but I’m sure it’s the same thing that made this foundation feel so smooth when I put it on. I would love to know so that I can be sure to stay away from it.
I was then instantly regretting putting that foundation on the bottom half of my skin a few times when I went to the event and another hockey game the next night. Luckily my cheeks and chin didn’t break out as bad.
I called the dermatologist back because I wanted to make sure I was treating my skin correctly since it was a different problem than what they had initially guessed. I went back in and to be honest I don’t think they believed me when I told them it was from the Dior Forever Foundation. We kept the same treatment plan and in the meantime I went to YOU GUYS for some advice as well. Of course you guys came through with some great recommendations! 
Essentials Used to Heal from my Dior Forever Allergic Reaction:
Aside from the hydrocortisone cream and topical gel, I ordered 3 other things from amazon:
- Herbivore Lapis Oil: This oil holds a component called Azulene which aids in soothing dry irritated skin, reducing the appearance of redness and balancing skin. Formulated for combination, oily, and blemish-prone skin types or any skin in need of balancing hydration.
- Noble Formula Soap: Excellent cleansing bar for any skin type or condition. Relives itching, redness, flaking, and irritation while removing oil, dirt, and debris
- Grapefruit Seed Extract
I rotated through these products, and always gently washed my face with the bar of soap and applied lapis oil. I felt like it really helped my skin when so many of the other things were harsh. SO many of you recommended Lapis oil! I now use it every time I get breakouts during my time of the month.
Now I know some of you may be reading this going through the exact same thing and are wondering how long until it went away. The truth is it took 8 weeks for my skin to almost normal. It was not a fun journey to take but I’m so glad progress was made! Eventually the rash started to get dry and flake. The crazy thing about not picking at it was that eventually under each flake of skin I had a black head. (Sorry kind of gross but thats ok.)
I would also recommend a turmeric paste and frankincense skin oil. Keep in mind turmeric paste will dye your skin for a couple days.
2 Weeks Post Dior Forever Foundation Allergic Reaction: (Started Drying)
One Month Post Dior Forever Foundation Allergic Reaction: Finally Starting to Fade
6 Weeks Post Dior Forever Foundation Allergic Reaction: (Discoloration)
Ever since then I have been lathering on skin serums and creams. Through this allergic reaction and journey, I have found some amazing products to help get my skin glowing again. I will share those products next week in part 2 of this Dior Forever Foundation allergic reaction story! I hope you enjoyed this recap and remember …
Dior Forever Foundation does work for some people but try it at your own risk! If you hear of a friend thinking about trying it, be sure to share this with them so that they’ve been warned!
XOXO
Wow, I am shocked! I am glad that you have recovered and the spots are almost gone. I don’t use foundation but I will definitely pass this info along to my friends that do.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Wow I have been struggling for weeks wondering why my skin was having this reaction. I too have been lucky and had clear skin my whole life and had no idea what was going on and starting to freak out as time went on and it didn’t get better. I have never felt self conscious when it comes to my skin and going without makeup until this. I didn’t for a second think it was that foundation and kept putting it on!!!! Literally running to my bathroom to throw it out. Now I’m worried about other Dior makeup and foundations I have. I also had worn it a few times before the reaction so I’m not sure what triggered it as I had worn it on and off for a few months now. Although I have religiously worn one of their other foundations which could also be contributing. I’ve been close to throwing out a million other things, thinking it was more my skincare or an old product not something fresh. I am so glad I came across this, thank you! I luckily already have that oil you’ve spoken about so will get onto using it and I have a hydrocortisone cream that I can use. I will see if this helps, sucks a bit knowing it took you 8 weeks although I’m already almost into my third using the hydrocortisone cream but I’m glad I know it took some time so I feel hopeful at least that this will get better. Literally never buying Dior again, this has been a nightmare. I never appreciated how hard it is for people who struggle with their skin on a daily basis and I will appreciate so much more when my skin returns to normal (fingers crossed). Literally can’t thank you enough!!!
Oh gosh , did you find out if it was the Dior for sure?
The amount of people who have found my post after having the same reaction from Dior Foundation is very large, so I believe my assumptions are correct!
Hello Lauren–
I hope that you are doing well. Sorry to read that you had an allergic reaction to Dior foundation. I recently had a similar experience and took a Benadryl. The allergic reaction was washed away in 3 days!! Please try next time.
unfortunately it did nothing for me but thank you for your suggestion! 🙂
I cant believe I found this review. I was using the old dior forever with no problems for a long time. After purchasing the new formula I constantly had rashes on my head. It took me almost a whole year to figure it out, since I wasn’t expecting it to be my foundation ( I had no problems with the old formula in the past) now I use armani luminous silk and almost all the issues have gone away. It took ages to clear up. I’m so glad I wasn’t going crazy.
I’m so glad I could help in some way! So sorry you went through it too!
i too broke out so bad with large acne pimples with white heads in the middle. Totally embarrassing being that im 45 years old! i got this in the mail as a free sample and so excited to try it out. I started using it and about a week later the issues started. Its been three weeks and still having issues they are coming out on the side of my nose which i have never experienced before.
Same thing happened to me. Twice.
I thought my breakout was from something else. But, the other day I tried my sample from Dior glow foundation and again my skin flared up with tiny pimples all over my face.
I am now convinced that is the Dior foundation.
I have a sensetive skin, rosacea and a bit of allergy. I used dior backstage foundation. For 3 months i was so happy with it but suddenly i got severe reaction with it. Anywhere that i applied it on my face was getting, dry, red, bumpy. It was extremely burning and itching and the next morning i was waking up with swollen face. I tried to look up if any1 else has got allergic reaction with it, bt i cant find any. I also thought it might be due to other stuff, however after my skin was healthy again i started using make up and the same foundation, just to get the same reaction! But mayb its jst my skin idk!
Same problem. I have flawless skin and beauticians have always praised it. I got Dior based on a store person’s recommendation because they didn’t have my usual brand (Sisley) – stupid me.
First I noticed flaking skin on my chin. That’s weird I thought, and stopped using a new moisturizer.
My skin has also been feeling hot, I couldn’t figure out if it was the weather, or stress, or something else. Tonight, cleansing my skin, my whole face is peeling – it’s the damn Dior Forever Skin Glow foundation. Such rubbish and Dior must know of this so why do they keep selling this garbage?
I have same thing my skin allergy reaction when i use Dior forever powder
I am very disappointed at Dior.
The foundation is awful.
I had bad rash on my face after I used it.
It was not cheap it cost around $60.