Mineral Makeup: A Must-Have Or A Mine Trap?




The advent of mineral makeup caused quite a flurry because of its non-comodogenic promises, and its supposedly all-natural, finely ground mineral ingredients. Compared to first-generation makeup which carries dyes, preservatives, and other harmful chemicals, the mineral version promises to be a lot purer and safer to use. But is it, really?

There have been raves from mineral makeup users who swear by its “natural finish” and light wear. There are those, however, who also blame the very same type of cosmetics for their irritated skin, suddenly “tired”-looking complexion, dryness, and the ashen tones of a corpse once the makeup is set in place. Most of these complaints come from women of ethnicity, whose complexions aren’t flattered one bit by the alleged all-natural wonder that is mineral makeup.

The bigger issue in the mineral makeup versus traditional makeup debate, though, would rely on health concerns. Barring claims of having purer formula and ingredients, the thing to really look into would be the state of your skin (are you prone to acne, dryness, or other skin diseases?) and some key ingredients in the cosmetics you’re using. For example, the chemical bismuth oxychloride is used extensively as a cosmetic ingredient and is purported to provide a flawless finish to the skin once applied. But it is lead-based, and can be had relatively cheaply so plenty of cosmetic manufacturers think it’s a great filler ingredient to make their products have a longer shelf life.

So really, if we gals were to go by claims of purity alone, we should totally nix all the makeup products that have any ingredients potentially harmful to our skin and health. And yes, this holds true no matter if the package claims that the product contains very little of said ingredients. Most chemicals have a cumulative effect, so unless you use makeup once a month (highly unlikely), you are not safe from the effects of lead absorption.

Next time, take a good, long look at your makeup package and see how it lists its ingredients. And nope, it is not in alphabetical order! Manufacturers put the ingredient that’s got the biggest amount in the product on top of the list, followed by the one with the second biggest, then the third, etc. So if your mineral makeup says it has “water” right smack as the first ingredient, then you can bet your bottom dollar you’re merely putting a lot of water on your face. And if it does say water, followed by “and other ingredients”, then girl, you’re in trouble. If the manufacturer doesn’t bother listing specific ingredients in its package, run away like crazy because there might be something really harmful in there, swimming in a suspension of water.

Bottom line is, no makeup, despite its claims to high heavens of natural ingredients, will create a miracle makeover for your skin. Heck, even if the ingredients are natural, you could still be allergic to them. For instance, mineral oil (a very mineral ingredient!) has been favourite moisturizer filler, but is also known to cause breakouts and clog pores. Make sure you know what type of skin you have, which ingredients you are allergic to, and which makeup carries ingredients that might cause you to have acne or skin irritation. It’s as simple as that, so there is really no need to walk blindly into a mine trap of miracle makeup promises!

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