What is mineral make-up?

Mineral make-up is an umbrella term for cosmetic products that are natural and contain pure, mineral ingredients instead of synthetic chemicals that have been formulated in a laboratory. From foundations and blushers, to eye shadows and bronzers, there are a whole host of mineral make-up products out there.

Mineral make-up is suitable for all skin types and tones and for all ages. Often described as being lighter in texture and softer to skin, mineral cosmetics have seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years. Mineral make-up products contain a number of natural ingredients, meaning they can be kinder to skin than regular make-up products.

Laura Rudroe, a skincare expert from Evolve Beauty, confirms just how many toxins we subject our skin to on a daily basis: "Women apply on average 515 chemicals to their bodies every day."

By switching your products to mineral or organic cosmetics, you can vastly reduce the number of toxins you put on your skin and improve the condition of your skin‚ it's texture and appearance. Don't underestimate the importance of checking the small print before applying a new face cream or foundation.

How is mineral make-up beneficial to skin?

Mineral make-up products are developed with natural ingredients and often contain fewer additives, colouring and fragrances than regular cosmetics.

Chase Aston, an international Make-up Artist for The Body Shop, says: "Mineral make-up is a kinder and purer product, so the key benefits are that it will not irritate sensitive and mature skin types... The ingredients are natural and all earth based and are devoid of any skin irritants and synthetics, such as petrochemicals, talc, dyes, fragrance and binders. Natural and mineral make-up is also preservative free and non-comodogenic."

Mineral make-up and organic skincare products are so gentle and carefully formulated that they are often recommended to those with skin conditions or to those who suffer with problematic skin. The natural properties have been known to improve the appearance of dermatitis, acne, rosacea and blotchiness.

A spokesperson for BareFaced Beauty explains how the mineral properties can be so effective on skin: "Mineral make-up is based on naturally occurring titanium and zinc oxide and the loose, dry minerals don't require preservatives and other skin irritating ingredients. Zinc offers fantastic anti-inflammatory properties and can help ease conditions such as acne, eczema and rosacea. If you have sensitive skin then mineral make-up may be your saving grace as the likelihood of a reaction is exceptionally rare."

Those who have oily, combination skin may also want to take note. Lula Braithwaite, founder of Lovelula.com (an award-winning organic beauty and apothecary website) describes mineral makeup as "excellent for problem skin types especially oily or acne prone skins." The oil base in regular foundations can exacerbate the problem of excess oil by clogging pores. With mineral make-up, the water base means your make-up stays in place but it won't clog pores and will reduce your chances of an unwanted breakout. BareEscentuals bareMinerals foundations are just one example of the many natural foundations on the market.

What is the difference between organic, natural and mineral products?

The difference between organic, natural and mineral products is the ingredients they contain and how they are formulated.

Chase Aston explains: "Natural and mineral make-up is derived from earth based ingredients, as well as flora, essential oils, vitamins and minerals and they are all synthetic free with no genetically modified ingredients, no parabens, no talc and no preservatives.

"Organic make-up's key ingredients must be devoid of any agricultural, essential oils and vitamins which have not been derived from a 100% organic producing environment. For example, no synthetic fertilisers can be used in the soil to grow and produce key ingredients. Organic make-up and skincare can make a purer claim such as 'contains 100% all natural ingredients'."

What to avoid?

The rise of mineral make-up and organic skincare products has made us a lot more wary of the ingredients regular cosmetics contain. We have come to realise that an awful lot of products available contain chemicals that can irritate and affect our skin's condition. Although many of us have become more aware of this, it is still difficult to decipher which products are best for our skin.

With many products claiming to be natural, Lula explains the importance of label-reading if you are serious about opting for an organic beauty routine. She says: "Some products may say they are 'natural' but for a product to claim it is 'natural' it only needs to have a small percentage of natural ingredients in it... You should be looking at the ingredients on the back of the bottle and you can learn to look out for nasties such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, parabens and petrochemicals."

Artificial colouring is not just an ingredient confined to food processing, it is often found in face and skincare products too and is one of the most common causes of skin irritations. Other ingredients to be wary of are: artificial fragrances, which can provoke allergic reactions, Formaldehyde which can trigger asthma and irritate the eyes, nose and throat and contaminated Lanolin, which can contain inorganic substances and cause skin rashes.

Companies like BareFaced Beauty and Lovelula.com understand how difficult it can be to differentiate between genuine and false claiming 'natural' products and, for this reason, only stock products which meet a certain criteria.

How else can I help my skin?

In addition to switching to mineral makeup you may want to regularly clean your makeup brushes and applicators. Dirt and excess product fester on brushes, leaving them full of germs and bacteria. In turn when we continually use them to apply make-up we end up transferring these bacteria to our skin, which leads to pores becoming clogged.

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