Mineral Powder Foundations

Are Mineral Powder Foundations Really Superior?

Dear Jean,

Many of my friends are sold on mineral powder foundation and are urging me to try it

I have rosacea so I’m leery to try anything that might aggravate my condition and cause a flare-up.

I’m not happy with the liquid foundation I’m using now. It doesn’t irritate my skin but it doesn’t cover very well either.

Thanks for your help.

Jeanne

P.S. I’ve read your balanced and well-researched answers to other readers and am glad I found your blog and website!

Thank you. That’s very nice to hear.

Mineral foundation is suitable for many women with rosacea because it typically contains very few ingredients. The ingredients are hypo-allergenic – which means they are non-irritating tomost people.

Don’t expect heavy coverage. Coverage can be light to medium – but enough to camouflage the redness of rosacea.

Mineral foundation is best for normal to slightly dry skin. It accentuates wrinkles on dry skin and can clump up in the pores of oily skin.

Mineral makeup is tricky to learn to apply but pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Light application may not give the sun protection listed on the package.

If this is your only sun protection, be sure to apply well. On the other hand, applied too heavily, it can look cake-y and very "made-up".

Let me warn you, there is a lot of marketing hype put out about mineral makeup. Have reasonable expectations and you might be very pleased with it. All natural? No.

The compounds are made in a lab; not mined from Mother Nature. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with that. In fact you have a higher assurance of consistency and purity with ingredients that are carefully fabricated under tight specification in a reputable chemical laboratory.

The main ingredient in most mineral foundations is bismuth oxychloride, a pearlescent powdery substance that binds well to the skin. Talc is the main ingredient of "non-mineral" makeup powders.

Is bismuth oxychloride any better or safer than talc? No, not really. Both are hypo-allergenic and non-toxic – even when inhaled. By the way, studies which suggested a possible link between talc and cancer have long since been disproved, yet mineral makeup advertisers allude to these old studies to entice people to try the talc-free formulations.

You might want to try Skin Alison Raffaele Mineral Powder Foundation. Its base is mica rather than bismuth oxychloride or talc. The mica gives it a lighter texture with good coverage.

It has a very short ingredient list; therefore fewer elements that might irritate your sensitive skin – mica, zinc oxide, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. It may also contain titanium dioxide and iron oxides. The package doesn’t state an SPF, though some would be provided by the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

My favorite mineral powder foundation is Laura Mercier Mineral Powder. It is bismuth oxychloride-based and has SPF 15.

The plastic shield with holes on just one half of the jar make it less messy to apply than most. I like its subtle glow, silky texture and good coverage.

This article is for information only and does not purport to offer medical advice.