Mineral Makeup - Is it really that good?



Posted: Sunday, November 20, 2005

by NYC Makeup Artist



Mineral Makeup

Why mineral makeup?
Why make cosmetics with minerals? For several reasons, but mainly because the fewer things you put on your skin, the happier your skin is. The items in mineral makeup generally contain about eight ingredients, whereas mainstream, mass-produced cosmetics are regularly jammed with over two-dozen ingredients. Why? Because like food, other types of makeup require the use of preservatives to fight the growth of bacteria. There is no risk of that with minerals - they’re inorganic, meaning there’s nothing “alive" in them. They were here before us, and they’ll be here long after we’re gone.

The star of mineral makeup - which consists wholly of nontoxic earth-based elements - is pure mica. Mica has been used in cosmetics for decades, and with good reason: it has high UV stability, low abrasiveness, adheres to skin brilliantly and defies heat, moisture and chemicals. The most common filler ingredients in other brands of makeup are talc and clay, whose globular structures clump together on the face. Mica’s flat crystalline molecular structure resists clumping, causing mineral makeup to go on smoothly and evenly with only the lightest application. Other key ingredients (read on for details) absorb and reflect UV rays, empowering the wearer of mineral makeup with the gift of effortless sun protection.

We love makeup, but we refuse to compromise our skin’s wellbeing for the sake of beauty. With the advent of Mineral makeup, one no longer has to.

Want to know more about mineral makeup? Here’s a super quick and painless science lesson. The main ingredients in MESS Pro Mineral Makeup are:

Mica pigments
Mica is common rock you’ve almost certainly seen it in its natural state. Mica particles are light reflectors you can think of them as thousands of tiny mirrors.

Bismuth oxychloride
A pearlescent pigment providing whiteness, luster and brightness. It also has good filling properties, gives makeup a smooth texture and mixes well with other pigments.

Iron oxide pigments
I.O.P.s come in shades of black, red, orange, yellow and brown and are blended to create different shades. They provide superior color purity and saturation.

Zinc oxide
Helps prevent sunburn by absorbing the sun’s full UV spectrum. Has soothing effects and is used medicinally to heal dry, chapped and irritated skin.

Titanium Dioxide
Reflects and scatters light and is an excellent absorber of sun rays (UV-A and UV-B). Titanium dioxide is so safe that it’s used widely in commercial sunscreens, even those designed for children. We eat it, too: titanium dioxide is used as a food whitener in everything from an Oreo cookie’s cream filling to the “M" on M&M candies.

If you have questions about mineral makeup, click here.

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