Mineral Foundation - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

What is a Mineral Foundation?

A mineral foundation is a cosmetic product made of minerals. It helps cover any flaws like scars, blemishes and uneven skin tones.

Not only does it act like your second skin but also provides hydration and sunscreen protection.

The difference between a regular foundation and a mineral foundation is, it's made of more minerals than any other ingredients.

You can find most of them are dry and powdered but nowadays, there are many liquid ones in the market too!

Why use Mineral Foundation?

Mineral Foundation is believed to be a better choice because it contains far lesser ingredients compared to a commercial brand.

It is made of minerals, mica and oxides. If you love simplicity, you will love mineral makeup!

The particles of a mineral makeup cannot be absorbed into your bloodstream. When applied, the pigments will stay on your skin and can be easily washed off with a cleanser.

What is it made of?

A typical powdered, mineral makeup has 3 types of ingredients:

  • The base that makes the bulk of the product
  • Functional ingredients to benefit the consumers
  • Aesthetic ingredients to increase the product's value

If you look at the ingredients list, you will be able to spot:

  • Minerals such as Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide
  • Mica such as Sericite and other mica that has color or shimmer
  • Oxides such as Iron Oxide

A powdered mineral makeup can also contain oils such as Vitamin E or any plant oils. However, the content is kept very low between 1-2% only.

Are there any preservatives in Mineral Makeup?

If it is powdered, preservatives is optional.

If it is liquid, adding one or a blend of preservatives is necessary!

How can a Mineral Foundation be bad or ugly?

I believe there is no such thing as a bad makeup or ugly ones. From my point of view, it depends on how your skin reacts to it. 

For example, Bismuth Oxychloride will make some people skin itchy after applying products that contain this ingredient. 

This is because Bismuth Oxychloride particles are bigger compared to a Titanium Dioxide. And its edges are rougher too. 

As such, if you see it under the microscope, when you apply products containing Bismuth Oxychloride, you are 'scrubbing' your skin with it causing very tiny abrasions on your skin. Hence, you feel the sting like it's itchy!

There is really no expiry when it comes to powdered mineral makeup. Minerals don't expire as long as they are kept dry.

However if there are flowers and herbs added into the formulation, it could expire within a year from the manufactured date.

Source: Mountain Rose Herbs

Other botanical ingredients added

Some vegan crafters add flowers such as Chamomile, Calendula and Butterfly Blue Pea.

Others add Pearl Powder, Silk Powder and even 24k Carat Gold Dust.

Avoid using these ingredients!

Some crafters use these ingredients to make pigments. I don't recommend it especially to apply it raw on the skin, because:

  • it can cause stinging sensation
  • it can be itchy
  • food products do not last long
  • can worsen any current dermatitis issues 

The ingredients are:

✘ Ginger - Gingerols in ginger will make your skin feel warm and worsen eczema or psoriasis.

✘ Cinnamon - Contains Cinnamaldehyde which irritates your skin, making it itchy.

✘ Cocoa powder - This is a food grade ingredient. It cannot last long especially without preservatives.

Rare ingredients that boost skin health and glow

Did you know that you can Crystals and Gemstones into your cosmetics?

Yup! To do this, you need to infuse your preferred Crystals and Gemstones into your favorite oils or extracts.

However, this is only suitable if you are making liquid makeup because adding raw crystals and gemstones intro a dry product can be abrasive to the skin.

You also need to ensure your product is stable enough to disperse the powdered gemstones in your emulsion.

Crystals and gemstones are not soluble in water, oil and alcohol.

Want to learn how to make your own Mineral Makeup?

Download my FREE guide here!

It's your turn!

Now that you have an idea on how to make DIY Mineral Foundation, it's your turn to make one!

Then, share it with us on this page!


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