Mineral Makeup: Pretty Toxic?

Common Ground, Siel
Published March 30, 2008

Environmentalists want beauty without cruelty to people, animals or the planet, making mineral makeup look like the natural choice. Compared to conventional makeup, which often contains all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients, mineral makeup is typically free of weird fragrances, chemical additives and dyes. Add to that the fact that many mineral makeup lines look and feel just as nice as the chemical-ridden stuff, and opting to go mineral seems like a no-brainer.

That said, mineral makeup isn’t worry-free. In fact, the consumer watchdog Environmental Working Group says “mineral-based products raise more questions about their safety than answers.” The problem? Nano-size ingredients. These teensy bits — which are 10 to 1,000 times smaller than their regular counterparts — can become quite damaging when absorbed by the body, even causing emphysema-like symptoms when they get into the lungs.

Some mineral makeup also contains irritating preservatives and bismuth oxychloride — a byproduct of lead refinement — used to lend a pearly sheen to the skin. The SPF 15 rating given most mineral makeup can be misleading as well: although titanium dioxide and zinc provide some natural sun protection, experts say it would take a heavy handed application to achieve an SPF of 15.

To stay on the safe side, do your best not to inhale mineral-based cosmetics, and avoid using them on damaged skin where they can be more easily absorbed. Avoid those brands with bismuth oxychloride and look for sun protection elsewhere. Beyond that, until we have better FDA regulation of personal care products, evaluate each item on a case-by-case basis. EWG’s cosmetic safety guide Skin Deep (cosmeticsdatabase.com) provides hazard scores on over 25,000 products to help you make smarter decisions.