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Mineral Makeup & Pregnancy
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"Quite frankly, I think mineral makeup is just a genius marketing plan -- a new way of selling women the same ingredients that technically have been in makeup for years," says dermatologic and pharmaceutical chemist Ben Kaminsky, author of the new book Beyond Botox: 7 Secrets for Sexy, Ageless Skin.
The main ingredients (minerals such as mica, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide), says Kaminsky, have been the basis of most makeup foundations for decades. And he says mineral makeup has no special health or beauty properties.
"Mineral makeup can cause problems the same as any other preparations can cause problems. It's not purer; there's no scientific proof of that," he says.
But other experts see it a bit differently. Many dermatologists report that because mineral makeup frequently eliminates classic "irritants" – like fragrances, binders, synthetic dyes, and preservatives -- it is considered "purer" and can be kinder to the skin.
"Makeup sensitivity is often the result of synthetic dyes, fragrances, and preservatives, so any makeup that eliminates these is going to eliminate some of the related problems," says Frew.
Moreover, she adds that because titanium dioxide [and zinc oxide] have anti-inflammatory properties, certain mineral makeups can also have a calming effect on the skin, particularly important if you suffer from inflammatory problems such as rosacea or acne.
Dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD, agrees. "It's non-comedongenic, so it won't clog pores, and it's not going to aggravate an acne condition or cause a flare-up as easily as some traditional makeups can," says Fusco, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
But what about the claims made by some companies that mineral makeup is so pure "you can sleep in it"? Experts draw the line here.
"I would never tell a patient to sleep in any kind of makeup. It's not a good idea for the skin to be covered at night, no matter how pure a makeup might be," says Fusco.
Mineral Makeup and Sun Protection
Another big draw to mineral makeup are the claims of sun protection. With an average SPF rating of 15, at least one company, Bare Minerals, has the Skin Cancer Foundation seal of approval as a sunscreen. Jane Iredale, AfterGlow, and other mineral makeups claim similar protective effects, due mostly to the high content of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide -- two ingredients commonly found in traditional sunscreen.
But does mineral makeup give you all the sun protection you need? Experts say no.
"It's better than using nothing, but I always tell my patients to use a regular cream sunscreen under their makeup and then use the mineral foundations as an extra boost," says Frew.
Mineral Makeup: Not All Alike
Extra ingredients aside, it may seem as if all mineral makeup should be pretty much the same. But WebMD discovered that's far from the truth.
Since there is no set regulation for what constitutes a "mineral” makeup, any product containing minerals as a primary ingredient can be marketed as such -- even if it contains a whole lot of other "less natural" ingredients.
Kristen Adams, president of AfterGlow Cosmetics, says the battle lines between brands are drawn this way: "Mineral makeup formulas generally fall into two large camps - those that take care not to use synthetics (like paraben preservatives and other fillers) and stay true to the original intent of pure mineral makeup, and those that do add the fillers, colors, binders, preservatives, and other chemicals to their formulas," says Adams.
Mineral Make Up Primer
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