Ben Nye banana powder is a pale yellow loose setting powder from Ben Nye, the Los Angeles professional makeup company that film makeup artist Ben Nye founded in 1967. The hard part of buying it is not finding a listing. It is choosing a seller the brand will stand behind, because Ben Nye bans sales of its products on third-party marketplaces and only guarantees jars bought from an authorized dealer. Pick the seller first, then the size.
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The Seller Decision Comes Before the Shade
Ben Nye’s own store locator spells out the rule: the company “prohibits sale of our products through third party marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Alibaba,” and it “will only guarantee products when purchased through an authorized dealer.” Any jar on those sites reached the seller by a route the brand did not approve.
If you want the product guaranteed, buy from a dealer in the locator, or email [email protected] to confirm a seller not shown there. A marketplace listing can still arrive fine, but you accept the risk of old stock, a decanted jar, or a fake, with no help from the brand.
What Is Ben Nye Banana Powder and Who Needs It
Banana Luxury Powder is a talc free loose powder tinted pale yellow, made to set makeup under hot lights without creasing or going shiny. Ben Nye built it for performers, not for beauty counters. It is milled to a micro-fine consistency, so a light dusting sinks into the skin instead of sitting on top.
Media makeup artists on film sets use it because it survives long shooting days. Bridal artists reach for it because flash exaggerates shine. Cosplay and body painting artists lock elaborate work in place for a convention day, the same reason it turns up beside cosplay costumes and cosplay wigs in kits. Everyone else found it through baking tutorials.
The tint is the whole point. Yellow cancels the blue-purple cast under the eye, so the shade sets and helps brighten at once. It reads most naturally on light to medium skin tones with golden undertones, and works on olive skin. Deeper skin tones use it as a highlight rather than an all-over face powder. Patch test first if your skin reacts to new cosmetics.
Current Sizes, Shades, and Formula
Banana comes in three sizes today, two of them shaker bottles rather than jars. Dealers list them under these codes.
| Code | Size | Container | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| BV-0 | 0.92 oz (26 g) | Dome jar | Testing the shade, travel kits |
| BV-1 | 1.2 oz (35 g) | Shaker bottle | Personal use |
| BV-2 | 2.4 oz (70 g) | Shaker bottle | Working kits, frequent baking |
Pricing is set by each dealer. Frends Beauty, a pro beauty retailer, listed the three sizes at 16, 18, and 24 USD in October 2026, so the largest bottle holds about 2.6 times the powder of the dome for 1.5 times the price.
Shade family. Banana is the best known of the Ben Nye Luxury Powders. Banana Light is a softer, less saturated version for fair skin. Cameo is the pink-beige option, Colorless is the plain translucent powder, and Buff, Topaz, Honey, and Butterscotch cover warmer and deeper ground. Older guides mention a Banana Creme, which does not appear in the current Luxury Powder list, so check the brand’s range before ordering by a name you remember.
Ingredients. The brand’s listing gives the formula as corn starch, mica, rice starch, zinc stearate, aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, gluconolactone, and sodium benzoate, with iron oxides, red 30 lake, and chromium oxide green as colorants. Ben Nye notes that ingredients are subject to change, so read the label, not an old review.
Texture and finish. It leaves a matte complexion without flattening it, and softens the look of texture and fine lines. Artists also use it to highlight cheekbones and as a catch layer for eye shadow fallout. A fluffy powder brush spreads a thin dust across the face, and a puff handles the under-eye.
How to Match the Shade to Your Skin Tone
- Check your undertones in daylight. Veins that read green mean golden undertones, the range this shade was built for.
- Pick the family member, not just the name. Fair, cool skin should start at Cameo or Banana Light.
- Test under one eye, wait ten minutes, then photograph with flash. Yellow that looks subtle in a mirror can flash back white.
- Buy the dome before the bottle. A small jar to confirm the color match beats a large bottle you never use.
Talc, Asbestos Testing, and Older Stock
The current Banana formula contains no talc: corn and rice starch do the oil-absorbing work, and dealers such as Makeup Mania and Alcone sell the line as reformulated and talc free. That history matters because Ben Nye filed for Chapter 11 protection in March 2024 while facing lawsuits over talc-based products, and the court confirmed its reorganization plan in September 2024. The company kept selling through its dealers throughout.
Federal rules will not settle it. The FDA proposed a rule requiring asbestos testing of talc cosmetics in December 2024, then withdrew it on November 28, 2025, and its talc information page lists no replacement proposal. The practical check is the label: if a jar lists talc, it is older formula or not the current product.
Where to Buy Ben Nye Banana Powder Online
Online is where the full size and shade range lives. Open the official product page first and compare the current packaging and sizes against whatever listing you are considering, then buy from a dealer the locator recognizes.
Pro Beauty Dealers
Camera Ready Cosmetics is a large pro beauty retailer that stocks Banana and Banana Light. Browse their selection for a wide choice from one store. Stage Makeup Online focuses on theater and film kits, Makeup Mania lists all three Banana sizes with their codes, and Naimies Beauty Center serves working makeup artists. Frends Beauty, Alcone, and Silly Farm also carry the line. None of these pages states its dealer status outright, so run any of them past the locator or the brand’s email if the guarantee matters to you.
Amazon, eBay, and Walmart Listings
Amazon is the fastest option and the one that needs the most attention. Several third-party sellers list the same product, so check the current listings and confirm who is shipping it. Walmart works the same way: the Walmart listing comes from marketplace sellers, not store shelves, and each seller sets its own return terms. eBay often has bundles at low prices and carries the highest risk of the three. All three sites are on the brand’s prohibited list, so none of these purchases carries the Ben Nye guarantee.
Buying In Store
Shelf availability is limited. Ulta and Sephora show other brands’ banana powders, such as Essence, Wet n Wild Photo Focus, and NYX HD Finishing Powder, but no Ben Nye listings, and drugstores skip this professional line too.
Theatrical and costume supply shops are the dependable in-person source, and staff there can compare shades with you on the spot. Malabar in Toronto lists Ben Nye among its brands, and costume shops often stock it beside the stage makeup, especially in the run-up to Halloween costumes season. Use the locator to find one nearby and call ahead for availability.
Checks Before You Pay
We tell readers not to judge a listing by its photos. Run these checks instead, each tied to something the brand or its dealers publish:
- Seller. Is it in the store locator, or confirmed by [email protected]? If not, the guarantee does not apply.
- Size and code. Current Banana sizes are 0.92, 1.2, and 2.4 ounces (BV-0, BV-1, BV-2). A 1.5 or 3 ounce Banana listing is not current production.
- Ingredient list. The current label starts with corn starch. Talc on the label means older formula.
- Sealed packaging. Skip any seller that scoops product into unbranded containers or will not show the sealed original, because you cannot judge what is inside or how long it has been open.
When to Replace Your Jar
Loose cosmetics do expire, and this one lasts longer than most because it contains no water for bacteria to grow in. Check the period-after-opening symbol printed on the packaging for the manufacturer’s own figure rather than guessing at a shelf life.
Three signs mean it is done. The texture turns clumpy or grainy. The color dulls from repeated air exposure. Or it develops any smell at all, since fresh product is essentially odorless.
To stretch its life, never dip a used brush back into the main container. Shake a working amount into the lid and load from there. Replace it after any eye or skin infection.
Top Picks
Picks are chosen on shade coverage, value per ounce, and fit for a specific buyer. The Amazon links are for comparison; only the dealer route carries the guarantee.
Best overall: Banana Luxury Powder, 2.4 oz. The best value per ounce in the line and enough for months of regular use. Check price on Amazon
Best for trying it: Banana Luxury Powder, 0.92 oz dome. The small dome jar exists so you can confirm the shade before committing. See it on Amazon
Best for fair skin: Ben Nye Cameo Luxury Powder. If the standard yellow runs too warm, Cameo gives a pink-beige finish with the same silky feel. Check price on Amazon
Best budget alternative: Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder. The drugstore option in a similar tone, and a dupe shoppers name often. It controls oil and shine but is not milled as finely, so it suits casual wear more than camera work. See it on Amazon
Start with the 0.92 oz dome and confirm the color match under flash. Once the shade works, order the 2.4 oz bottle from a dealer the store locator lists, and check the code and ingredient list when it arrives. That sequence is the reliable way to buy Ben Nye banana powder without gambling on old stock or a counterfeit. For more like this, see our Beauty Articles section, or our guides to MAC makeup, NYX Cosmetics, Milani cosmetics, and Jordana cosmetics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Ben Nye banana powder do?
It holds foundation, concealer, and contour in place without creasing or turning shiny, and the yellow pigment cancels blue-purple shadow under the eye at the same time. That dual job is why it displaced plain translucent powder in a lot of professional makeup kits. It adds no coverage of its own.
What skin tone is banana powder for?
Light to medium skin tones with golden or olive undertones get the most natural result. Fair, cool-toned complexions usually look better in Banana Light or Cameo, because the standard shade can flash yellow on camera. Deeper skin tones take it as a targeted highlight instead.
Is Ben Nye banana powder talc free?
Yes, the current formula is. The ingredient list on the brand’s product page starts with corn starch, mica, and rice starch and includes no talc, and dealers sell the Luxury Powders as reformulated without it. Older stock on resale sites may predate that change, so read the label.
Do Sephora or Ulta sell it?
No Ben Nye listings turn up on either site. This is a professional theatrical line sold through authorized dealers, costume and stage suppliers, and pro beauty stores. Amazon, eBay, and Walmart listings come from third-party sellers, and Ben Nye prohibits sales on those marketplaces.
What is the difference between Banana and Banana Light?
Banana Light is a less saturated version made for fair complexions the standard shade would overwhelm. If you found the original too yellow under flash, Light is the direct fix rather than switching to a translucent product. Both come in the same three sizes.
About This Guide
Reviewed by the wheretobuyguides.com editorial team. Sizes, ingredients, seller policy, and retailer listings updated October 2026.