Mineral Makeup Facts – Why It’s Healthier For Your Skin

Mainstream synthetic cosmetics are very often made from a toxic blend dangerous ingredients, some of which are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors and others known to cause some very unpleasant skin reactions and allergies. Many mainstream cosmetic companies still also test on animals, despite what they claim!

Thankfully we are lucky that we now have the choice to use natural, pure mineral cosmetics, made by small, ethical, cosmetic companies. These smaller companies care and go out of their way to ensure their ingredients are never tested on animals or contain dangerous ingredients.

Pure mineral makeup actually lets the skin breathe and the Zinc Oxide if contains offers good sun protection and is actually healing and anti-inflammatory, making it perfect for those with acne, sensitive and oily skins.

I myself am a professional cruelty-free hair and makeup artist and I have been exclusively using pure mineral makeup professionally for nearly a decade now and I love it. As you can see in my work on the model in this article’s image, you still get a flawless, professional result.

Synthetic Makeup Dangers & Animal Testing

Cosmetics are a huge multi-billion dollar and very competitive industry. Cosmetic manufacturers spend countless millions of dollars on glossy campaigns that entice women to buy their latest shade of 24 hour stay-on lipstick, or age-defying foundation.

Unfortunately while these products look good on the outside, they more often than not contain a very unhealthy blend of various toxic chemicals. Scary when you think of how much makeup we apply to our skin (our biggest organ) over a lifetime, not to mention how much we ingest through lip products.

Many big name cosmetic manufacturers still justify animal testing of their cosmetics, saying this is the only option available to prove that the highly synthetic ingredients they choose to use are safe.

They may either commission the tests themselves, or to take themselves out of the equation, may use ingredients that are being tested on animals by a third party. So why do they choose to use ingredients that have such questionable safety in the first place?

The bottom line for these mega cosmetic brands is driving up sales and competing against one and other to produce the most advanced, new age cosmetic product possible. For this they are prepared to let animals suffer and die and also risk our health too.

Even if one ingredient is deemed safe, through animal testing, they cannot know what the accumulative affect of mixing this ingredient with all the other ingredients in the products are? Also it has been proven time and time again, that animal testing is unreliable. What is toxic to rabbits (commonly used in cosmetic testing) and other animals, may not be toxic to us and vice versa.

See my article Animal Testing Of Cosmetics Do Your Part To Stop It and my Cruelty Free Lifestyle Checklist

Toxic Chemicals In Makeup

It is frightening to learn just how many seriously toxic ingredients go into the production of just one lipstick, not to mention all the hazardous ingredients used to create other cosmetic products e.g.mascara, nail polish, foundations ,eye-shadows etc. Just about all mainstream synthetic cosmetics have at least a couple of hazardous ingredients in them, while some seemed to be almost entirely made up of toxic ingredients.

Here is a list of just some of the known carcinogenic ingredients routinely used in cosmetic production

DEA (Diethanolamine)
Propylene Glycol
Dioxin (1,4-)
Parabens
Formaldehyde
Lead
Talc (that can be contaminated)

Add to this artificial Lakes and Dyes (colours), synthetic fragrances, preservatives and even flavours.

The above list is a small sample of the huge plethora of toxic ingredients used in the manufacturing of mainstream cosmetics. These ingredients can cause a whole host of health problems. Some of these ingredients are known carcinogens and hormone disruptor’s, while others are major irritants and allergens.

What Is Mineral Makeup Made From

Mineral makeup are made from crushed pure mica’s and oxides that are harvested from earth and rock and pulverized down into a very fine powder, which produces a pure loose highly pigmented powder, which can be combined together to produce almost a limitless range of colours.

These powders allow the skin to breathe. They take some getting used to, as they are in their true pure form, which is loose and dry, but they can be mixed with natural lubricants or just a drop of water to create some fabulous, vibrant and metallic shades.

The majority of natural mineral companies have been able to safely and naturally produce all the standard line ‘wet’ cosmetics like lipstick, glosses, liquid foundations, eyeliners, mascaras and even nail-polishes.

To learn how to apply mineral makeup professionally see my article Applying Mineral Makeup Professionally Is Easy.

Dangers Of Nanoparticle Mineral Powders

Some mineral companies are using nano-particle technology, which has some potential health concerns as the particles of Zinc and Titanium oxides are so small when produced by this method that they may enter the blood stream and become a health hazard.

Choosing A Safe, Cruelty Free, Mineral Makeup

There are now literally hundreds of cosmetic companies producing mineral makeup, even the major cosmetic labels have jumped on the mineral bandwagon and produced their own lines of mineral makeup. But beware not all mineral cosmetics are the same and many contain not only pure minerals, but other toxic ingredients too. Many of these companies are not necessarily cruelty free either.
Tips for choosing a safe and ethical mineral cosmetics.

Steer clear of any companies using Bismuth Oxychloride, which can really scratch and irritate the skin.

You want to make sure that the company is a genuine, mineral makeup company and not a cosmetic company that has other ranges that are not mineral.

Avoid mineral companies using nano-particle technology.

Check the ingredients before buying for Bismuth Oxychloride. and other toxic & synthetic ingredients, e.g. synthetic preservatives, fragrance, parabens, petrochemicals etc.

Avoid mainstream cosmetic companies that have produced a line of mineral cosmetics, they are just jumping on the ‘what’s popular now’ band wagon and still make plenty of lines that are toxic and tested on animals.

Be a humane shopper and do your part to stop animals being tested on. Make sure the mineral cosmetics brands you choose to you are approved by a reputable and independent, 3r party nonprofit organisation like Cruelty Free International and their Leaping Bunny Programme.

To see what can be achieved using mineral makeup see from my portfolio here .