Mineral Make-Up Fast Facts
What's in Mineral Makeup?
Minerals such as iron oxides, talc, zinc oxide, mica, bismuth oxychloride and titanium dioxide are micronized, or ground and milled, into tiny particles to create makeup. The minerals are not all necessarily from mines or unrefined (titanium dioxide, for example, needs to be refined to be usable on our skin). What makes mineral makeup different from traditional makeup isn't the ingredients it contains but what’s left out.
You will find that most of the leading mineral make-ups do not have parabens, mineral oil, chemical dyes or other additives that can either irritate sensitive skin or potentially cause breakouts. Mineral products are also preservative-free and often also fragrance-free, the two top irritants in make-up according to many dermatologists.
Practical Application
Mineral-only makeup also binds to oils rather than water. This is why, if applied correctly on the right skin type, it creates a very clean look and ample coverage on your skin.
The ads will tell you it looks completely natural. I think I’ve also heard “like your own skin, only better.” Not so fast …
These powders can be applied sheer, but the very nature of their ingredients results in a textured application that can look powdery and "made-up", so use a light handed approach. This is especially true if you have any dry patches on the skin because these mineral powders exacerbate dryness and flaking. They are also not a best friend to wrinkles, where the powder can gather.
For those whose skin is very oily, mineral makeup can eventually pool in pores and look thick and layered just like any powder can. Generally speaking, mineral makeup is best for normal to slightly oily skin.
So Many Health Benefits
It’s soothing, clears your skin and has SPF built right in! Maybe, not really and technically yes.
In order of the claims:
- Calamine lotion you use to calm a rash is basically zinc oxide (the white stuff your local lifeguard paints on his nose) colored with iron oxide, both of which are in mineral makeup.These anti-irritating ingredients can be soothing to inflammation, but there's no proof of this claim or indication of how much product you need for that result.
- Another popular claim is that it can clear up acne. It's unlikely that mineral makeup will clear up pimples, which can be caused by many factors, including changes in hormone levels. The lack of the filler ingredients found in conventional makeup, however, can lead to less pore clogging and potentially fewer break-outs. (We found no studies that substantiate that claim, but if you are putting on moisturizer followed by sunscreen and then, on top of that, foundation topped with powder, you are more likely to have clogged pores)
- We are told that mineral makeup acts as a sunscreen to protect skin from sun damage. The protective claims for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, usually found in powder blends, do have some research behind them. The FDA has approved zinc oxide as a skin protectant and titanium dioxide as a sunscreen. In our opinion, no mineral makeup is going to give you enough SPF to protect you against damaging ultraviolet rays. Even those that have a certified rating should always be worn along with your own daily sunscreen.
The Choice is Yours
By no means are we against mineral make-up, nor do we think it's for everybody. Many of us here at Tierra Mia Organics use it. However, make-up trends such as these can often be seen as a one-size-fits-all solution. We all have different skin types and that requires finding what is best for your skin. And please, read your labels. Know what is and what isn't good for you - or for that matter - anyone.
We care about you and we care about the health of your skin. The information available about mineral make-up is extensive and this is a very condensed overview. If you have any specific questions please contact us here.
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