The lighting on stage is much stronger and more intense than lighting found in rooms or out of doors. Such intense light causes facial features to lose dimensions. This in turn makes actors faces appear flat. Normal, everyday makeup does not contain enough color or pigmentation to highlight facial features. However stage makeup does contain enough pigmentation to ensure that the face and all the facial features look as they should.
The viewing distance in which one person sees the other is much greater in the theater than when individuals have conversations in the office or at home. The greater the distance between the stage and the audience, the more difficult it is to make out the actors' faces. Stage makeup is used so that even those sitting in the back rows of the theater can see each actor's face. This is achieved with stage makeup due to its high pigmentation.
When actors are up on stage, underneath the intense stage lights, they will perspire intensely. This would cause regular makeup to run and smudge. In some cases, the makeup can run into the actor's eyes, causing extreme irritation. Stage makeup is designed to be highly sweat resistant and will not run when heated under the stage lights. While stage makeup is thicker than everyday makeup, it is designed to be gentle on the skin, so even those actors with sensitive skin will not have any problems.
Stage makeup is an important part of some costumes. While in many cases it is simply used to highlight the performer's features, it is also used for specific costumes. There is stage makeup that is used to age performers' features so that a young actor appears to be very old. Stage makeup is also used to make an older actor look younger. There are alsospecial cases in which the makeup is the costume, such as with aliens and creatures. One common example is the clown, in which the facial makeup is part of the clown costume.