What’s Really Hiding in Your Mineral Makeup

Expensive marketing campaigns aren’t designed to be honest.

They’re designed to be persuasive.

And that’s exactly what the “Big Cosmo” companies have done with the term “Mineral Makeup”. When we see blush and concealer branded as mineral makeup, we quickly assume it’s safe, natural makeup, not some artificial junk. 

Unfortunately, we’ve all been duped. Mineral makeup isn’t what it seems. You deserve to know the truth about what you’re putting on your skin!

The Myths… and Truth... About Mineral Makeup

Here are the myths that “natural” mineral makeup brands want you to believe. Do they sound familiar? 

Mineral makeup is so pure and safe you can sleep in it! 

These finely ground minerals come straight from the earth without a single chemical, dye, or preservative included! 

Slather it on without any danger to your skin!

Stop right there. Don’t believe the hype. 

The truth is much murkier than the mineral makeup brands want you to know. Let’s take a minute to peel this onion and expose mineral makeup for what it really is… toxic. 

Makeup Has Always Included Minerals!

Makeup has actually always included minerals! Even Cleopatra, the queen of beauty herself, used black kohl eyeliner and red ochre pigments to color her lips. So although the use of minerals in makeup is nothing new, cosmetic manufacturers coined the term mineral makeup to tap into growing health and wellness trends with a makeup concept that sounded revolutionary. 

After all, minerals are healthy for the body, right? Mineral makeup must be nourishing and revitalizing the skin. Wrong. 

The term mineral makeup is similar to the terms all-natural or pure; no one is policing the terms or defining exactly what they embody. As long as cosmetic manufacturers don’t add “extra” chemical ingredients to their formulas, they eagerly try to claim their products are pure.

In reality, they do their dirty work behind the scenes and then label makeup jars and bottles with terms that sound great (Pure earthen minerals! Natural skin essentials!) and earn your trust. 

The truth is, even if mineral makeup doesn’t include the dyes or preservatives found in mainstream makeup, it likely still  includes other nasty synthetics, artificial fragrances, chemicals, or fillers. 

Minerals Undergo an Irreversible Toxic Chemical Bath

What makeup is sitting in your cosmetic bag right now? Foundation? Blush? Eye shadow? Lipstick? You probably love the sheen, shimmer, and vibrant color that your mineral-based products lend to your skin, but the behind-the-scenes reality isn’t nearly as pretty. 

All mineral ingredients must be processed before they can be added into cosmetic products. Though the minerals themselves aren’t problematic, the chemicals used during this “processing” are bad news. Mined minerals are washed in toxic chemicals that are never removed. 

Instead, your skin ends up absorbing those chemicals and toxins after you apply your mineral makeup. 

What Happens When You Apply Mineral Makeup?

Your skin naturally absorbs anything that sits on it — for better or for worse! 

This means that when you apply mineral makeup, your natural sebum oils break it down into smaller parts that easily pass into your skin. It doesn't take long for substances to cross through your skin and into your bloodstream. Maybe even less time than it takes to listen to a radio commercial or order a cup of coffee! 

Without you knowing or feeling it, the chemicals hiding in your makeup can sneak right into your body to cause damage. Since substances that enter your bloodstream through your skin aren’t forced to pass through the liver for detoxification, they cause destruction in their full concentration. In fact, they may never make it to the liver at all. 

So what happens once those chemical-coated minerals achieve free rein in your bloodstream? They race to your heart, lungs, thyroid, and anywhere else they can wreak havoc with these side effects:

• Skin irritation
• Acne
• Rosacea
• Hormone disruption
• Neurotoxicity
• Chronic inflammation

Now, ladies, just think about how long that mineral makeup sits on your skin. Most of us keep makeup on our skin for 12-16 hours before getting the chance to wash it off. That’s more than half of the day spent with toxins and chemicals sneaking their way into your bloodstream. No thanks! 

The Harmful Ingredients in Mineral Makeup

As women, we are exposed to hundreds of toxic ingredients in our beauty products. Making the switch to natural products is a huge (and life-changing!) improvement, but the pervading myths of mineral makeup prove that the products we choose aren’t always as safe as they seem. 

Remember… Big Cosmo jumped on the natural mineral makeup bandwagon as soon as it smelled higher profit margins. While it sounds great on the surface, there are no laws governing how mineral makeup is labeled. 

This allows many companies, including the brands that claim to sell safe and pure mineral makeup, to include harsh, toxic, and lab-made ingredients. Make sure you don’t get fooled by buzzword marketing! Read your product labels carefully and pay especially close attention for these harmful ingredients. 

Mica in Makeup

More than 1,000 lipstick products on store shelves today include mica. Not to mention 971 eye shadows, 536 foundation products… and the list goes on and on. 

Why is mica in makeup? It offers that lovely sparkle that helps your eyes pop and your lips dazzle. From nail polish to blush, mica is everywhere. 

Unfortunately, mica is also linked to lung damage. This mineral contains aluminum, iron, or magnesium silicates in tiny microparticles known to scar and inflame the lungs. Most mica damage has been found in construction workers who use mica to spackle, but we still can’t predict the effects of long-term use and inhalation of mica in makeup! 

An increased risk of irritation and lung disease in women and girls isn’t out of the question. 

Bismuth Oxychloride

You don’t want to touch bismuth oxychloride with a ten-foot pole. So why is this toxin lurking in products from major “natural” makeup brands? Its shimmery, pearlescent appearance isn’t worth the skin irritation and inflammation that bismuth oxychloride causes! 

This ingredient is a heavy metal, not a pure mineral.  It’s manufactured by combining chloride with bismuth, the byproduct of lead and copper metal refining. I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to spread lead and copper byproducts all over my skin! 

Bismuth oxychloride is known to cause skin irritation, redness, itching, rashes, and inflammation. The more that's added to a product, the worse your inflammation may become. Some women have experienced cystic acne and rosacea flares as a result of ongoing exposure to bismuth oxychloride. 

Lead

I just finished telling you that bismuth oxychloride is formed from a byproduct of lead, so it’s not really a surprise that lead itself is hiding in many cosmetic products. We all know that lead is a dangerous toxic metal, so why does the FDA allow it to be included in cosmetics up to 10ppm? 

Even if every cosmetic manufacturer adheres to the FDA’s limit— which some don’t!— we’re still being exposed to a known toxin every time we apply lipstick. I probably don’t need to remind you about the health effects of lead, but here they are:

• Decreased IQ and cognitive measures in children
• Reduced kidney function
• Impaired fetal growth
• Cardiovascular disease
• Oxidative stress

Even at the “relatively low levels” found in cosmetics, these dangers exist!

Titanium Dioxide in Makeup

You might know titanium dioxide as the ingredient used in natural sunscreen products, but it’s also included as a cosmetic ingredient. Titanium dioxide in makeup products like pressed powders and loose powders may present dangers to your body. 

Most titanium dioxide is added to makeup in the form of tiny nanoparticles. Unfortunately, nanoparticles are a new innovation that we don’t understand their long-term effects on the body. This idea of nanotoxicity is a huge concern for titanium dioxide in makeup. 

It's believed that the titanium dioxide nanoparticles in makeup can trigger the production of free radicals that damage cells and trigger inflammation in the lungs. They say beauty is pain, but it definitely shouldn’t be like that!

Natural Makeup Alternatives

Simply put, your makeup routine shouldn’t come at the expense of your heath. It’s time to separate yourself from the pervasive mineral makeup myths and find a natural, mineral-free alternative that is legitimately good for your skin.

Yes, it’s possible. Now that you understand the truth behind the mineral makeup trend, you’re empowered with the knowledge you need to take action… and I’m here to help!

I created my clay-based makeup line to give all of you ladies a way to look and feel beautiful without compromising your wellness. What will you find in Primal Life Organics makeup? 

Clay. Food. Flowers. Herbs. 

That’s it.

Nothing sneaky, no toxins hiding under a clever alter-ego. If Cleopatra couldn’t have used it herself, then it’s not an ingredient in my makeup, because you deserve pure beauty from real ingredients.

White Kaolin Clay

It’s one thing to find makeup that doesn’t technically harm your skin. But it’s another thing to find makeup that actually nourishes, balances, and improves your underlying skin health! 

That’s exactly what White Kaolin clay does as the main ingredient in my mineral-free makeup products. 

White Kaolin clay is a calming and gentle clay that’s rich in zinc, magnesium, silica, and calcium. It creates the ultimate multi-tasking effect by improving the core health of your skin while also enhancing its outward appearance. 

Think of the popularity of clay face masks to remove impurities and slough away dead skin cells. When you apply white clay-based makeup, it’s like using a very light face mask all day long! Instead of enduring the consequences of nasty chemicals and toxins leaching into your bloodstream, your skin will undergo a gentle detox effect all day long!

When you swap mineral makeup for White Kaolin clay makeup, it’s like giving your skin a treatment or spa therapy every time you apply foundation. At the same time, your mineral-free makeup achieves the coverage you need to erase blemishes, age spots, and other imperfections. 

Real Food Colors

While White Kaolin clay, French Green clay, bentonite clay, and other pure earth ingredients create the nourishing base of your mineral-free makeup, real nutritional foods like spirulina and beet root add gorgeous colors and hues. 

The Primal Life Organics makeup doesn’t need mica, titanium dioxide, lead, bismuth oxychloride, or nanomaterials to create bright, vibrant colors. Cranberries, beets, hibiscus, cocoa, and spirulina are even better (and safer!). 

This goes beyond the satisfaction of knowing that you’re channeling your inner Cleopatra by using crushed berries to give your cheeks a flushed red hue. The real food ingredients are all rich in vitamins and minerals that instantly enrich your skin tissues with antioxidants.

That red blush doesn’t just look beautiful, it also delivers impressive benefits to your skin. Raw food colors stimulate the following activities in your body:

• Cell renewal
• Blood flow
• Tissue detoxification
• Collagen and elastin production

It’s a powerful feeling to know that your makeup is actively enhancing the internal and external health of your skin as you move through your day!

Reverse the Damage Your Mineral Makeup Has Caused

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who was tricked into believing mineral makeup was your skin’s best friend. You can reverse the damage caused by your mineral makeup by exploring our innovative line of mineral-free foundation, blush, eye shadow, and eye liner.

Our foundation sample pack offers a quick and affordable way to find the perfect shade for your skin. If one individual shade is too light or dark, you can blend them together to find a tailor-made match for your skin tone.

Once you become familiar with the application process, you’ll never want to turn back to mineral makeup again!

How To Apply Mineral-Free Makeup

Before you even touch your mineral-free makeup, take the time to wash your face, apply toner, and moisturize... but only if your products are water-free! 

Remember what I always say: mainstream beauty and cosmetic products suck the hydration out of your skin. Water, which is usually unfiltered and laden with chemicals, pulls moisture out of your skin and leaves a sheen of toxins covering your face instead. 

Once your skin is naturally cleansed and revitalized, it's time to enhance your beauty with mineral-free makeup. 

To apply Primal Life Organics’ Foundation wet, scoop a small amount of powder onto the lid and add 2-5 drops of water or 1-3 drops of oil. Mix with your fingers and apply over your freshly cleaned face. That’s it! Be sure to wipe down the lid with a tissue to keep the powder dry. 

This is one of the best features of our foundation! You get to customize your wet foundation every single day, so you can always adjust it to fit your immediate needs. A little dry?  Add a drop or two of your favorite oil or serum to the mix (like Coffee Bean Elixir for an early morning pick-me-up!). 

Transforming the foundation powder into a wet foundation on-the-spot also prevents bacterial growth, a major problem with standard wet foundations that aggravate acne and other skin conditions. As an added bonus, your powder lasts longer and remains fresh without preservatives or nasty ingredients.

If you’d rather apply your foundation dry, simply scoop a small amount of powder into the lid and use a foundation brush to sweep across your skin.

The Kabuki foundation brush is my hands-down favorite because it features a sustainable bamboo handle, recycled aluminum ferrules, and soft Taklon bristles that create a smooth application every time.

If you have the choice between mineral makeup brimming with questionable chemicals or mineral-free makeup that actively revitalizes your skin, you have a pretty simple choice to make!

Resource Links:

https://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/ehc/ehc235.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5614862/
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/703949-MICA
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(18)30178-4/fulltext
https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/potential-contaminants-cosmetics/lead-cosmetics
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27837574
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bca/2017/4101735/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428712/