One of the latest skin care trends to take the cosmetics industry by storm is mineral makeup. The concept is that, by applying a special “all natural” makeup, you can look great while improving your skin. Allegedly, mineral makeup is free of chemicals and instead, uses natural minerals to nourish your skin. As you may imagine, there is a fair amount of hype in the claims. Like many beauty and skin care products, brilliant marketing has a way of directing attention away from obvious flaws.
Separating Advertising From Truth
First, mineral makeup does use natural minerals as primary ingredients. These include titanium dioxide, mica, and zinc oxide. What manufacturers do not proactively mention is that these same minerals have been used as main ingredients in makeup foundations for many years. While mineral makeup does actually use them, the fact that they do is not noteworthy.
Second, cosmetics companies have either directly communicated, or allowed others to do so in their stead, that mineral makeup does not use chemicals of any kind. In fact, that is not accurate. Technically, every ingredient used in a cosmetics product is a chemical, regardless of whether it is considered natural or not. What’s more, some ingredients that are used in most mineral makeup products, such as bismuth oxychloride, are decidedly unnatural. Bismuth oxychloride is a chemical compound that results from mixing lead, copper, chloride, and bismuth.
A Closer Look At Active Ingredients
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are often used in sunscreens to offer protection from UVA and UVB rays. Their inclusion in mineral makeup (which cosmetics companies are happy to point out) can be beneficial. However, the role they play in offering protection against sun damage depends upon the concentrations in which they’re used. A sprinkling will not do – you need to check the listing of ingredients to make sure they are included as active ingredients. If they are not, they won’t provide significant protection against UV rays.
Mineral Makeup Is Not A Skin Care Solution
There is a noticeable lack of unbiased data that proves the efficacy of mineral makeup as a skin care solution. While useful as a foundation for those who suffer from rosacea (because it covers blemishes without using fragrances or preservatives), unless formulated in concentrations required to afford sun protection, there is little evidence that it will provide sufficient protection from sun damage.
If you enjoy the results of applying mineral makeup, and many women do, then continue using it. But, don’t consider it a replacement for a well formulated broad spectrum UVA/UVB blocking sunscreen like to reduce signs of premature aging caused by sun damage.
Despite what beauty product manufacturers claim, mineral makeup isn’t a magic solution. Let the buyer beware!
