WHY MINERAL MAKEUP?

WHY MINERAL MAKEUP?

By Chris Krenzer

“It looks like my skin only better.”

My answer to the question “Why Mineral Makeup?” is “Why would you wear anything else?”  The look and benefits far surpass traditional makeup.  And the category gets bigger and bigger and more inventive every day with choices from low-end to high-end and everything in between.

It does, however, get more important to examine thoroughly the ingredient list.  I had one mass brand explain to me that they put talc in their mineral makeup because it’s a mineral.  Yes, but then it’s not mineral makeup; it is traditional makeup relabeled.  Be careful of those marketing people – they’re clever!   

What minerals should you see in mineral makeup?  The quality, quantity, particle size and type differ from brand to brand, but you should see a combination of any of these ingredients:  Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides, Mica or Boron Nitride.  The minerals should appear at the top of the ingredient list and not at the bottom.  (Ingredients are listed in descending order with the largest amount listed first.) 

Why is it important not to dilute minerals with fillers such as talc?  The high percentage of minerals is what provides such versatile coverage, sun protection and benefits for the skin.  This concentrated pigment also gives the mineral powder such adherence that it rarely transfers or needs touching-up.  Traditional colour cosmetics contain 70 – 90% talc and are often coloured with petroleum-derived dyes (FD&C or D&C). 

I should add that minerals have no relationship to mineral oil which is a liquid petrolatum, a by-product of petroleum. 

I am often asked if minerals are organic.  All substances can be divided into two categories:

a)         Organic – that which contains organs to support life and will eventually rot (humans and plants, for example)

b)         Inorganic – without the organs necessary for life (rocks, for example).

I think what people really mean when they ask me if minerals are organic is: “Are they natural?”  That’s a hard question to answer because there isn’t a satisfactory definition of “natural” in our industry.  Perhaps a better question would be: “Do they occur naturally?”  The answer to that would be “yes and no.”  There is a misconception that minerals used in mineral powders come directly from the earth.  Even if the FDA allowed that, you wouldn’t want these minerals on your skin because they would be contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins.  

All minerals are manipulated extensively in a laboratory and many are made there.  This doesn’t make them bad.  They are still minerals but they are manufactured under strict laboratory guidelines that ensure their purity.

Perhaps “clean” rather than “natural” is a better word to describe products that are attempting to eliminate toxins and questionable ingredients.  Clean has been the mineral makeup pioneers’ quest from the start.  Because the category is so much more extensive than it once was, it has opened the door for compromises.  Now, you will see mineral powders with talc, parabens, synthetic dyes and other ingredients.  However, there are still a few purist brands around.  The choice is yours. 

Let’s look at what minerals are used and why.

• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) – approved as a physical sunscreen – is a manufactured oxide of titanium.  Titanium is most commonly found in the mineral rutile (beach sand).  TiO2 is seldom used raw but is coated to eliminate oxidation and to increase its ability to refract UV rays.  Dimethicone is commonly used as a coating to increase the light scattering properties of TiO2.
• Zinc oxide (ZnO) is manufactured from the mineral zincite.  ZnO is also approved as a physical sunscreen.  This pure white mineral is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.  It remains white when exposed to UV light.
• Mica occurs naturally but in cosmetics is a manufactured mineral which gives slip and glide to the finished product.  It can be used in a larger particle size to provide shimmer or it can be used in a much smaller particle size to render it matte and absorbent.  Mica is often used as a colourant.
• Boron nitride (BN) is a manufactured white, silky powder that gives smoothness, coverage, slip and sheen.  It is also known as the “soft focus” mineral because of its light refraction qualities.
• Iron oxides (Fe203), commonly known as rust, are primarily used as colourants.  All iron oxides used in cosmetics are synthesized under strict laboratory processes.  Iron ore cannot be used from nature because it contains heavy metals.  

At the beginning of this article, I made the rather bold statement that the look and benefits of mineral makeup are far superior to traditional makeup.  How can I back this up?  Well, to begin with, in the ten years that I’ve been intimately involved with mineral makeup, I have never known a woman return to traditional makeup once she’s found a mineral brand she likes.  I’ve seen women and men with skin challenges turn their lives around because of the benefits and coverage from mineral makeup.  Celebrities become fanatical about it.   It has grown from a few pots in a plastic surgeon’s office to a world-wide phenomenon.   It is now the fastest growing segment of the cosmetic industry.

Let’s look at some specific benefits.  Authentic mineral powders are a foundation, concealer and powder all in one.  If the label indicates an SPF, they are also a sunscreen.

Coverage

It is the way mineral makeup interacts with light that creates its celebrated coverage.   It can cover almost any distraction without looking heavy and cakey.   Minerals interact with light in complicated ways: 

• They allow light to pass through the particles so it bounces off the skin reflecting back some of the skin’s hue – literally taking on the colour of the skin
• They reflect, refract and diffuse light creating a soft focus effect
• They create a luminous look to the skin – a healthy, youthful glow

This interaction with light makes colour-matching the skin tone easier than with traditional makeup.  In fact, you will rarely see where minerals end and the skin begins.  It is important to try minerals on the skin to test for colour.  Often, the colour in the jar looks quite different when it is applied.

Allows the skin to breathe

Minerals allow the skin to breathe and function normally – a boon to all skin types but especially for those with acne and rosacea.

Sun Protection

There is no question that sun protection is one of the most important things we can do for the health of the skin.  The elegance of minerals is that they make this protection easy, effective and beautiful.  However, do not assume that because you have a mineral makeup in your hand that it has sun protection.  Assume the reverse unless it has an SPF rating on its label.  Mineral sun protection satisfies everything that we want a sunscreen to be.  It is part of the makeup not a separate layer.  It is non-occlusive,  There is no wait for chemicals to absorb before protection begins.  It stays where you put it – no running into the eyes.  And it is so easy to add more if you need it.

A quick word about SPF protection.  SPF only refers to protection against the UVB ray – the shorter ray that goes into the epidermis and creates a burn.  The FDA is actually considering changing SPF to SBF (sunburn protection).  Why?  Because the ray that is now considered more dangerous that UVB is UVA, the longer ray that enters the dermis and injures the collagen and elastin layers.  It also lowers the immune system.  (UVA creates the tan which is the body’s response to injury.  This is the ray that tanning booths use.)  Until now there has been no method approved in the US for testing UVA protection.  Other countries such as the UK, Australia and Japan have measured UVA for years.  The FDA has the Japanese method under consideration for approval and some labs are already conducting these tests.  It is reasonable to expect that mineral powders with an SPF rating will also have meaningful UVA protection.  Our company’s initial tests have shown this to be true.

Feel and Look

If minerals are applied properly, they should feel weightless on the skin.  Some wearers even report that for the first time in many years they can actually feel air on their faces.  If minerals feel or look heavy, it is probably an application problem and not the minerals themselves. 

Minerals are so versatile that practically any look is attainable.  But I think a phrase that I’ve heard more than any other to describe the finished effect is:  “It looks like my skin only better.”  Perhaps in the end this is what attracts women and men to mineral makeup.  It fits perfectly with today’s lifestyle.  It’s fast, easy and effective.  It’s multi-functional.  It allows us to feel natural and look flawless at the same time.  And for those of us who are interested in eliminating as many toxins as possible from our lives, it does that too.

Why mineral makeup?  Why would you wear anything else?

©Chris Krenzer Mineral Cosmetics..