What You Need To Know About Mineral Makeup
Filed Under: Eyes, Face, Make up on January 15, 2010
Invented back in the 70′s, mineral makeup is only now beginning to be a huge beauty trend with the wave of green and organic marketing. It contains no chemicals or allergens and is made from all natural earth minerals that are finely ground to makeup.
All skin is unique. A woman’s skin type can be dry, in the middle, oily, any combination. Sometimes the chemicals in makeup can irritate the skin and cause pimples or clog the pores up pretty bad. It’s important to know exactly what kind you’re using, what’s in it, and to wash it off every night with a good skin wash.
Mineral brand makeup is made from minerals such as mica, magesium, and titanium, all which are supposed to freshen the skin and give it a natural glow. Regular skin powder can make lines and wrinkles look worse by clogging the grooves and causing shadows and the illusion of lines. Some experts, however, are arguing that minerals such as those have been in traditional makeup all along.
But mineral skin products still don’t contain harsh irritants and the chemicals that traditional makeup does, so it’s natural and is pure. If one’s skin is very sensitive, it doesn’t matter what they put on it, it’s going to be irritated. Since mineral is natural it shouldn’t cause as many problems though, and is the less harsh on the skin.
Mineral is more expensive though, a drawback. It’s supposed to be better on skin prone to acne, but there are opinions that have pros and cons both. Users who are advocates of it say that it doesn’t clog the skin and gives it a youthful glow, while those who don’t like it say it’s irritating and sucks the hydration out of skin and causes more wrinkles.
Another plus is that the zinc in mineral makeups has UV protection naturally in it, so it helps with sun protection. It’s not a lot, but it’s better than none at all. It’s also supposed to really help with rosacea and redness of the skin, and won’t cause any flare ups.
They say it’s natural enough to sleep in, though most dermatologists will tell you that it’s not good to sleep in any makeup. The skin needs to be allowed to breathe and should always be cleansed nightly so as not to clog pores. Still, it’s better with the mineral than with traditional makeups.
There’s one last piece of advice – not all mineral makeups are alike. Regulations allow for makeups that contain any mineral as a main ingredient to market itself as mineral makeup. That means even if it contains unnatural chemicals and ingredients, it can still have a mineral label. There’s also a mineral called bismuth oxychloride, and that gives the makeup the glow, but it’s a copper byproduct, not an earth mineral. So be sure to read labels. Most mineral makeups are either those that still use fillers and may have preservatives, and those that are true to the name, with all natural ingredients.