(BlackDoctor.org) — Women, of course, often disagree about the merits of makeup products. But the debate over mineral makeup is especially fierce, going beyond whether it offers a flawless glow or a cakey finish into questions of health and safety. Companies boast that their mineral makeup confers skin care benefits, while detractors raise alarms that the finely ground particles may be risky.
One thing is certain: Women are buying mineral makeup in greater numbers than ever. According to the market research group NPD, sales of mineral makeup from prestige brands were $195 million last year, or 6% of the cosmetics sold in the U.S. And that hefty figure doesn’t include mass drugstore lines such as Revlon, L’Oreal, and Neutrogena.
Mineral Makeup: Hype, Reality
Bare Escentuals started what it dubbed “the mineral revolution” when it launched its loose powder foundations in the mid 70s. Competing brands soon followed, all offering the claim that mineral makeup, made from crushed pure minerals, was more “natural” than conventional makeup.
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Cosmetic chemists don’t quite see a revolution. Many see mineral makeup as marketing hype. In fact, all makeup is mineral makeup. You’ll find the same mineral ingredients — titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica and iron oxides — in conventional products. Contrary to what advertisements may suggest, those ingredients aren’t simply mined, pulverized, and poured into compacts. Zinc oxide, in fact, is synthesized in the lab.
And though titanium dioxide, another mineral makeup mainstay, may start out with natural titanium, it undergoes an extraction and purification process in the lab, too. That’s a good thing. There isn’t any natural source of titanium that’s pure enough to be used in cosmetics. It’s all contaminated with things like mercury and lead.
What’s Not in Mineral Makeup
What makes mineral makeup different from traditional makeup isn’t the ingredients it contains, but what’s left out. That list, for many leading brands, includes preservatives, parabens, mineral oil, chemical dyes, and fragrance. These are all possible causes of irritation, one reason many dermatologists recommend mineral makeup. It’s much less likely to cause a reaction in women with sensitive skin. And because it doesn’t contain oil, it won’t aggravate acne-prone skin.
Chicago dermatologist Brooke Jackson, MD, who uses mineral makeup herself, recommends it to patients with rosacea and eczema. She also suggests it to a highly frustrated group of women. “Women in their 30s and 40s will come in and say they have bathroom counters filled with products that have caused reactions because of one ingredient or another,” Jackson says. “When they try mineral products, many are finally able to wear makeup for the first time in their lives.”
Skin Care Benefits
Mineral makeup won’t take the place of your moisturizer, acne cream, or anti-aging serum potions, but it does offer some skin care benefits.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are both physical sun blocks, so a uniform application of mineral makeup will provide some sun protection. “It’s sufficient for those days when you’re just running a few errands outside,” Jackson says, “but if you’re going to be spending hours outdoors on a sunny day, choose a sunscreen with an SPF 45.”
What’s more, zinc oxide is FDA-approved as a skin protectant. It has some anti-inflammatory properties, so you’ll see it in products like diaper-rash ointment. Since mineral makeup contains a higher percentage of zinc oxide than traditional makeup, it can be useful in calming irritated skin.
Possible Risks
Just as the benefits of mineral makeup have been exaggerated, so have the potential dangers. One concern is that mineral makeup is micronized into ultra-small particles called nanoparticles that can penetrate the skin’s barrier and trigger potentially harmful reactions.
But there’s no reason to fret. If the particles were actually the size of nanoparticles they’d be useless in makeup, because they’d become transparent and wouldn’t offer any coverage.
Some media reports have advised women to scan labels for bismuth oxychloride, the ingredient that gives makeup its pearly finish. It’s been said to cause skin irritation and acne flare-ups, leading some mineral makeup companies to eliminate it from their formulas.
Jackson says that only a very small minority of people with highly sensitive skin will find themselves irritated by the ingredient. “These are women who react to so many ingredients that they’ll probably want to have their dermatologist perform skin patch tests to identify what might possibly cause a reaction,” she says. “For the vast majority of women, bismuth oxychloride is perfectly safe.”
Blurred Line
Mineral makeup has gone far beyond its modest beginnings as a loose powder foundation. Today, you can find blush, bronzer, eye shadow, lipstick, and even liquid foundations presented as mineral products.
As these products have proliferated, a funny thing has happened. Cosmetics companies have added back the ingredients they omitted when they first introduced mineral makeup. After reading the list of ingredients — a dozen in all — of a so-called “mineral eye shadow” from a drugstore brand, if you hadn’t told me that was the ingredients list of a mineral product, I would have said it was just your run-of-the-mill eye shadow.
As for so-called liquid mineral foundations, Wilson says it’s impossible to create a liquid product with a pared-down ingredients list. Because microbes thrive in water, a liquid formulation must include some kind of preservative. Without it, contaminated products can lead to skin infections.
The bottom line? If you have sensitive skin, you might want to give a loose mineral powder foundation a try. Look for products with the shortest ingredients list. “The longer the list of ingredients,” says Jackson, “the bigger the opportunity to get yourself in trouble.”
For everyone else, mineral makeup will do no harm and, with some practice of the “tap, swirl, and buff” application method, you might find yourself enjoying its camouflaging abilities.
Just keep your expectations in check. No one product, including mineral foundation, is going to correct problems like large pores and uneven pigmentation. To address those concerns you need primer, concealer, and the right skin care regimen.
