Is Mineral Makeup truly Good for Your Skin?

Mineral makeup has been piling up the cosmetic shelves like storm, and we see a rise in number of women patronizing these trendy product lines, from the cheapest drugstore labels to the high-end brands.  The promise of healthy glowing skin that is marketed to give a lot of healthy benefits makes mineral makeup a real help – or is it just another hype?

Mineral makeup comes mostly in powder form, and the only difference they claim to be is that unlike your traditional lead-filled makeup, mineral makeup comes with earth minerals.  There are no dyes, chemicals, or preservatives.

Does it mean that it’s the best product created to satisfy every woman’s vanity? Some people rave how light these minerals on their skin, making it glow with life.  Yet, there are some who find it a bit messy to use, causing their skins to dry and break out with acne.

There’s no real secret behind the mineral makeup hype, since it uses ingredients used for decades such as titanium dioxide, mica, and zinc oxide. Like the usual makeup, it can cause allergies too, depending on the person using it.  There is just no proof that the minerals are really pure.  But some people would say that mineral makeup would get rid of irritants caused by binders, fragrances, synthetic dyes, and preservatives.

Checking out the FDA list of prohibited ingredients, what had caught my attention is the very first line “…cosmetic ingredients are not subject to FDA premarket approval authority. “  Should this, then, be a cause for panic?

A makeup artist had even observed how makeup had been causing her clients’ skin to age, prematurely.  There are harmful ingredients in our cosmetics that we need to be wary of, like:

Paraben
Ferric Ferrocyanide
Chromium Green Oxide
Magnesium Stearate
Bismuth oxychloride
Zinc Stearate
Fragrance
Parabens

These are carcinogenic ingredients that can wreak havoc to our bloodstream, and increases our chances for cancer.  Most of these makeup also contain nanoparticles, which, unlike your ordinary micro-particles, have a way of passing through the natural barriers of our body’s healthy cells.  These nanoparticles are mostly found in your mineral makeup and sunscreen.

For example, sunscreens may come with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Making mineral makeups to nano-size makes the skin appear to glow more. You may not realize that these particles can be airborne, which will find its way into your lungs.

There is an ongoing campaign and studies showing the dangers of nanoparticles to your health and a call for FDA to regulate these products are underway.  For now, you have to be smart with your labels and choose natural skin care that’s truly good for you.  As they say, beauty always come with a price… and we hope you won’t pay hard for the passion to look good.