Are you a fan of mineral make-up?
Mineral makeup has become very popular over the last few decades and has often caused a lot of hype with many new “mineral” product launches across all levels of makeup brand.
In this feature we are going to separate fact from fiction and establish whether they are really worth the higher price tag, and see if we can understand exactly which minerals we get in our mineral makeup.
The mineral makeup revolution can be traced back to the 1970’s when the San Francisco based company Bare Escentuals (http://www.bareescentuals.com) launched its range of loose powder mineral foundations. Now almost every makeup brand has its own version. So, are they worth it and what’s in them?
- Most makeups include many minerals
Yes it is true. Almost every type of makeup is mineral based. From titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and mica, to iron oxides; these minerals feature in most makeup products including the lower priced makeup options.
- The biggest difference is actually what’s left out
Minerals such as titanium dioxide are not known to be particularly nourishing, but they are not harmful either. Most brands of standard makeup often add vitamins and minerals to their products to give them better textures even where they do not promote this.
What the popular mineral makeup brands leave out, that many regular makeup companies leave in, are ingredients like; preservatives, parabens, chemical dyes, and artificial fragrances that are common in many non mineral products.
- Not all makeup minerals are natural
Zinc oxide is synthesised in the lab as it does not occur naturally in nature. Titanium dioxide is a mineral makeup mainstay, but titanium itself is not in itself beneficial to skin. The metal minerals need to undergo an extraction and purification process in a laboratory.
- There are real benefits to mineral makeup
Whilst I don’t recommend that you stop your daily moisturising and skin care routine, good quality mineral makeups are better for your skin because of what they leave out. Also, they do add many additional beneficial ingredients that are good for problematic skin types or conditions.
- Mineral makeups can calm easily irritated skin
There is generally a much higher concentration of zinc oxide in mineral makeups and zinc oxide is well known to have an anti inflammatory effect.
Zinc oxide also has great natural sun light blocking properties and so blocks harmful UV radiation from damaging skin. Titanium Dioxide also protects the skin from the sun’s harmful rays. Whilst this mineral is common at some level in most makeup, it is generally much more concentrated in mineral makeup.
- All liquid mineral foundation products have some preservatives in them
Microbes thrive in liquid environments and once you open the lid to your make up they flood in (for more information on how long you should keep your makeup check out our make up expiration date infographic). Without some form of preservative a product can easily become contaminated and then you risk skin infections.
- Mineral and organic makeup is not the same
Organic makeup does not contain any artificial preservative. It’s for that reason that it doesn’t last as long.
Mineral foundations pick from a range of additional minerals that have benefits to the skin. From natural silk to silica. For the full lowdown on what these minerals are read our guide to Mineral Makeup Ingredients.
