Small Steps to Health

Mineral Makeup

March 27th, 2008 by asithi · No Comments

Mineral makeup is popping up every where. There is even a mineral make up blog about it. You can find it at the drugstore for less than $10 or at Macy’s for $50 per item. It claims to be natural, from the earth, and free of dyes, chemicals, and preservatives. It claims to be much better for your skin than traditional makeup. But what is the truth to these these claims?

Sun Protection
The claim to sun protections is mostly due to the high amount of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide found in the mineral makeup. id Bare Minerals has the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval for its average SPF 15 rating its foundation. Mineral makeup does not provide all the sun protection you need. But it is better than nothing.

Healthy skin
There are both fans and critics about this makeup. I am a fan. As with all makeup, preparation of the skin is key to wearing mineral makeup. Others have complained about it being too drying and accentuating wrinkles. A proper moisturizer and a primer before applying mineral makeup will help get rid of these complaints.

The main mineral ingredients such as mica, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide have been the basis of most makeup foundations for decades. However, most mineral makeup does not contain fragrances, binders, synthetic dyes, and preservatives in other makeup. These are usually the ingredients that cause skin problems in traditional makeup. I would never sleep in my mineral makeup, so matter what the claim. But I have noticed a slight decrease in my acne prone skin since using mineral makeup exclusively.

Differences in mineral makeup
Not all mineral makeup is created the same. Any product containing minerals as a primary ingredient can be marketed as a mineral makeup. Some companies use synthetics such as paraben preservatives, other fillers, colors, binders, and other chemicals in their mineral makeup. That is the dividing line between the different mineral makeup brands. Some formulations sticks to the original intend of mineral makeup and do not add fillers and others deviate from it. Be sure to check the ingredient list if you are going to try a mineral makeup. Just because it claims to be “all natural” or “all mineral formula” does not mean it is.

Even within the brands that claim “pure mineral” formulations, there is a “natural” mineral known as bismuth oxychloride that is bad for your skin. This filler gives you that “candlelight glow” and is a byproduct of lead and copper processing. Large amounts of bismuth oxychloride cause itching, rashes, and cystic acne. If you have rosacea, acne, or sensitive skin, you should avoid using mineral makeup with large amount of this ingredient. But some products contain only a small amount of this filler, so you really do not know how your skin will react until you try it.

Mineral makeup is pulverizing into nanoparticle sizes in order to create that smooth and natural coverage. Minerals like zinc and titanium are safe when applied to normal skin, but should not be applied to damaged skin. And be careful of inhaling it. There have been a couple of times when I almost did during my application of my mineral makeup when I am half asleep in the morning.

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