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The truth behind repackaged mineral makeup… and more!Guest Blogger Phyrra: How to Look for Quality Mineral Makeup
Thank you Phyrra for allowing the Mineral Makeup Mutiny to have you as a guest blogger! This is a great article!
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This article was written for Fresco Phyrra’s Friends over at Painted Ladies but is republished here with permission.
How to Look for Quality Mineral Makeup
When I got into mineral makeup in April 2008, I didn’t know much about it, so I started to try and read everything I could find. Surprisingly, I didn’t find a lot of reviews (there were some) about mineral makeup companies. So I decided that I would start a blog and review everything I’ve tried. Through my trials, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve also learned a lot by emailing company owners and asking questions. They’ve shared many tips for me for discerning quality products, which I’m going to now share with you.
When there’s a company that you’re just dying to order from, before you hit that buy button, there are some things you should do.
1. Look at the products the company makes. Do they just make eye shadow? Or do they make other products? Unfortunately, a lot of companies that only make eye shadow may not have quality products or they may sell just repackaged products. Most companies that make quality mineral makeup sell at least eye shadow and blush. Normally they sell eye shadow, foundation and blush. Lipsticks and lip glosses are pretty much a labor of love for small, indie companies, so not everyone does them.
2. Look to see what they list for ingredients. If a company lists ingredients such as ’shimmer, pigment, frost,’ that’s not right. Shimmer, pigment, frost, are not FDA approved ingredients. You can see what is approved here.
Now, you can give the company the benefit of the doubt and email the owner. They may not know that they’re listing ingredients improperly. I know I’ve contacted a few companies who didn’t realize it. Once I spoke to them, they corrected their listings. So there’s no harm in asking.
If however, the owner gets defensive or hostile, you’ve got an answer right there, and I would avoid that company.
3. Learning about what sort of ingredients are acceptable in mineral makeup helps, too.
Eye Shadows
For eye shadows, you’ll want to see an ingredients list like the following:
Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), May contain: Iron Oxides (CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 77492), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI 77510), Ferric Oxide (CI 77491), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), Tin Dioxide (CI 778161), Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica
(From Aromaleigh’s Gothic Lolita collection.)
Mica, Titanium Dioxide. May contain Tin Oxide, Silica, UltraMarine Blue, Hydrated Chromium Oxide Green, Iron Oxides, Chromium Green Oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, Ultramarines, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Boron Nitride, Bronze Powder, Copper Powder, Silicon Dioxide, Cetyl Dimethicone, Zinc, and Calcium Sodium Borosilicate.
(From Dreamworld Minerals.)
Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Tin Oxide, Zinc Oxide.
(From Glamour Doll Eyes.)
Ingredients like zinc oxide, magnesium myristate, kaolin clay, coated mica, zinc stearatae, carnauba coated mica, silica etc should be in the list of ingredients because that helps an eye shadow to have lasting power and to blend.
It’s also possible to use some eye shadows as blushes if you want. Most mineral makeup eye colors are multipurpose for use on the cheeks. Some can be used on the lips but others are not lip safe.
Blushes
Mineral makeup blushes usually are very pigmented, so you can apply them sparingly to get a beautiful flush.
Blushes tend to look like the following:
Sericite Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate. May contain: Manganese Violet.
(From Beautiful Girl Minerals.)
mica, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxides, ultramarines
(From Buff’d Cosmetics.)
titanium dioxide, iron oxides, ultra marine pigments.
(From Cory Cosmetics, mica-free blend.)
Foundations
For foundations, you’ll want to see an ingredients list like the following:
Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides
(This is from Meow’s Pampered Puss formula.)
Zinc Oxide, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Kaolin, Magnesium Stearate, Silica
(From Fyrinnae’s Superpower Mineral Foundation.)
Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Zinc Oxide, Pure Silk Powder, Boron, Silica, Iron Oxides, Jojoba Oil (vegetable derived), Magnesium Myristate. May contain ultramarine blue.
(From Purely Cosmetic’s Skin Smoothing foundation.)
Lipsticks
If you’re looking at lip products, you want to see ingredients like the following:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil (and) Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil(soybean), Ozokerite, Microcrystalline Wax, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E).
May contain(depending on the shade): Tin Oxide, Tin Dioxide, Silica, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Palmitic Acid, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Iron Oxides, Manganese Violet, Carbon Black, Polyester-3, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 7, Red 21, Red 27, Red 28, Red 33, Red 40, Copper, Bronze, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate(mineral glitter), Polyethylene Terephthalate(glitter), Flavor
(From Morgana Minerals.)
Certified Organic Castor and Jojoba Oils, Avocado Oil, Organic Candelilla Wax, Cranberry Oil, Raspberry Oil, Passionfruit Oil, Carnuaba Wax. Also contains: Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C color
(From Silk Naturals.)
Cocoa Butter, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Sesame Oil, Castor Oil, Castor Wax, Candelilla Wax, Macadamia Nut Oil, Vitamin E. Pigment Ingredients: Mica; may contain Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Tin Oxide and Manganese Violet.
(From GeoGrafx Cosmetics.)
Ingredients I suggest avoiding:
Talc, Bismuth Oxychloride, pthalates and parahydroxybenzoate.
To me, talc is often a filler. Bismuth can cause itching, especially for sensitive skin. Pthalates are being phased out of most products in the USA.
Parahydroxybenzoate is also known as Ethylparaben, and it’s often used as a preservative. I’m somewhat on the fence about this one.
Ingredients that I suggest looking at to decide if you want them in your makeup or not:
parabens like butylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, and Propylparaben.
Some sites you can look at for more information are:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-methylparaben.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben
4. If the company makes a claim that their foundation has an SPF, see how they word it. If they say ‘this offers great SPF protection,’ be leery. If they say that their product does have titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which offers barrier protection, but that they can’t indicate a specific level of SPF, that is fine. Companies cannot actually claim a specific SPF rating with the FDA without doing expensive testing. As of right now, the only mineral makeup company that I know of that can make a specific claim is Bare Escentuals. They paid a huge amount of money to get every single shade and every single formula that they offer tested. This is why only a very large company can do such testing. A small, indie company is just not likely to be able to afford it. So if you see one claiming the same thing as Bare Escentuals, be very wary.
5. Google the company name with the word reviews after it. See what people have to say. Now google with repackage after it. If it comes up, read what people have to say, and weigh this with the other information you find on that company. You can also google the name of the eye shadows, as some companies keep the same names for colors if they’re just selling repackaged colors. Sometimes, these companies even use the same stock photos for the colors along with the stock names. There’s a set of pretty colors called Pops/Gumballs that fall in this category.
6. Just because a color is repackaged doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. Many companies will list a repackaged color honestly and explain why they have it. Some companies have these colors due to customer request. Other companies like these unblended eye shadows because they’re pretty the way they are. If a company is honest about it, and you like it, definitely try it.
7. You can always check the Mineral Makeup Mutiny list. While they don’t list companies to avoid, they do list companies that are artisan and make their own products and honestly label their products. Some of the companies listed sell unblended or repackaged shades. However, all of the companies listed on this site you can buy from with confidence. You can also check out the list of companies that I’ve reviewed here.
Herbs of Grace… on the list!
Herbs of Grace, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
Our goal is to provide quality skin care products, using the finest natural ingredients available, chosen especially for their skin softening and healing qualities.
Product Line
We are currently focusing on our all natural mineral makeup line:
Natural Look Mineral MakeupTM
- Natural SkinTM Foundation Powders
- Natural ColorTM Eye Shadow
- Natural ColorTM Blush
- Natural ColorTM Lips
- Natural ColorTM Body
- Shimmers and Bronzers
- Brushes and Accessories
- Vegan Lip Balms
- Books
- Makeup Gift Sets
See the links at the left for more product information.
Natural Quality
There are no preservatives, chemical additives or artificial ingredients in any of our products. Since all of our products are homemade in small batches, your order will arrive fresh and ready to use.
Cruelty-Free and More
We welcome vegetarians, vegans and anyone who is looking for personal care products with a conscience. All of our handmade products are cruelty-free. We never test on animals and never will. In fact, all of the products we manufacture are completely animal free. Our lip balms contain only plant-derived ingredients and our makeup contains only naturally occuring minerals.
As a natural cosmetics company, we also take steps to ensure that the suppliers of our makeup brushes obtain the animal hairs in a humane and animal-friendly way. As a natural products company, we felt that natural hair brushes not only work better with mineral cosmetics but also fit in with our “all natural” company theme better than synthetic brushes would.
Herbs of Grace also uses certified organic or wildcrafted ingredients whenever possible.
Artemis Cosmetics… on the list!
Artemis Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
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Adorned with Grace Minerals… on the list!
Adorned with Grace Minerals, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
My name is Franchesca Jones, and I am the creator and owner of adorned with GraceTM. This company started out of a desire to make a foundation color for my own hard-to-match yellow/olive toned (Asian) skin. Although there were a few companies that seemed to sell colors that were “close enough” and was even happy with buying it from someone else, my own creative curiosity peaked at the thought of formulating my own colors and creating my idea of the perfect finish and coverage.
As I realized how much fun it was, I thought that there were surely many other yellow/olive toned ladies like myself who would benefit from a company that made colors for our unique skintones; there aren’t that many companies that seemed to specialize in this particular niche!
I also wanted to create a brand that celebrated the things that defined true beauty. Sure, you can put on my makeup or even some higher-end expensive makeup and feel outwardly prettier, but what’s in our heart is what really shines to those around us. The names each of the products are descriptions or traits that we must remind ourselves are what really make us beautiful. That is one of the reasons you’ll notice I rarely capitalize the “a” & “w” (in “adorned with”) as I hope that when you see our company name, you notice the “Grace” first of all!
In addition, some of my own standards that I looked for in other cosmetic companies, I am applying to my own: basic, as close to natural and healthy products as possible; a great quality product and fair shipping prices; eyeshadow and blush colors that are natural and everyday friendly, yet with splashes of color; and a simple, yet efficient way of doing business!
Spell Cosmetics- on the list!
Spell Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
The industry trends! Spell was launched in 2007 after 2 years of pre production. We strive to bring you high quality shopping experiences and are well known for our attention to customer service. We offer a full line of products and focus on Paraben and Phthalate free creations. Our Products are Bismuth and Talc Free and All of our Skin care line (Natural). Visit us online at www.spellcosmetics.com
J. Lynne Cosmetics… on the list!
J. Lynne Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
Welcome to J.Lynne Cosmetics, a vibrant indie beauty and mineral makeup company specializing in natural cosmetics. Our passion lies in helping women discover their pure, natural beauty!Jessica Lynne Miller is the namesake, owner, creator, and all around busy-bee behind J.Lynne Cosmetics. She began researching and developing her own line of mineral makeup after years of using “traditional” cosmetics that were irritating her sensitive, acne-prone skin. Jess began learning about the benefits of mineral makeup, and selecting the highest quality natural cosmetic ingredients, she began researching, developing, and creating her products. With the launch of J.Lynne Cosmetics in January 2005, Jess brought her dedication to pure, natural cosmetic solutions to the world. Her desire is simple — to create a mineral makeup collection with high-quality products that will help her customers feel “purely beautiful, naturally you!”
J.Lynne is a natural cosmetics company located in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. Our mineral makeup products are created in small batches and are completely free of chemicals, synthetics, fragrances and dyes. In addition, our natural cosmetics do not contain bismuth oxychloride, carmine, cornstarch, talc, or preservatives, which are ingredients sometimes found in other mineral makeup lines. Our mineral powder makeup products are created using only natural cosmetic grade titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which provide sun protection as well as improving staying power and color depth; serecite (pure, matte, uncoated mica powder); iron oxide, ultramarine, and manganese violet pigments; and natural cosmetic grade mica.
We are proud to be a natural cosmetics company creating cruelty-free makeup products. Our mineral powder makeup products are vegan-friendly, and all natural cosmetics manufactured by J.Lynne Cosmetics are tested only on humans, never on animals.
Rainbows, Skittles, Gumballs, Brights, ROYGBIV?
Are these starting to look familiar to you? Everywhere you look?
You can bet that when you see this very same rainbow of shades, on multiple sites- that these are, quite simply… most likely straight repackaged pigment. If they’re not straight, then something has been added to extend them, while still preserving their same exact hue.
You can get the entire collection of straight pigments, HERE... at wholesale cost, for a $20 minimum.
Why are companies so daft as to think that consumers aren’t savvy enough to realize that you’ll figure out that you’re getting duped? Because, honestly- they think you’re stupid. And *I* know you’re not!
They don’t understand the power of the internet, or a tweet or facebook post. Or a makeup forum. They think that they can make a quick buck passing off these “rainbow stacks” as their own amazing creation when really… all they did was stick it in a jar.
And that’s *fine*… as long as you know that you’re paying for a repackaged pigment and as long as ou aren’t being snowed into thinking that you’re getting some amazing, new product. Then, it’s totally not acceptable.
What do YOU think?
(photo removed at legal threat of company owner, as per the comments thread)
Isn’t it a little too much of a coincedence that ALL of these colors look exactly the same? And the same rainbow of shades, within context?
If you see the Skittles Gumball Candy Stacker rainbow at a mineral makeup website, ASK. See what kind of response you get.
These certainly are gorgeous bright colors… but they’ve become so commonplace (Etsy alone gave me about 100 different hits!) that it’s truly a shame.
Why don’t companies blend them together, make beautiful new shades, add texture, interference, matte, sparkle, glimmer, glam? Why can’t they put a little bit of effort into it?
Ask any mineral makeup company owner that DOES make their own creative product and they’ll tell you the straight truth. This kind of evidence just plain tees them off.
Me included.
Until next time, over the rainbow….
Getting tired of seeing these colors everywhere???
The same exact colors?
Me too.
Sevi Cosmetics- on the list
Sevi Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
Love is more than a noun at Sevi, it is the foundation of all we do here and in life.
The result — honest, vegan, earth-friendly, cruelty-free and as natural as it gets skin care products formulated with aromatherapeutic essential oils and organic and/or certified organic botanicals.
Love is a gift and we all deserve it!
Geografx Cosmetics- on the list
Geografx Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
GeoGrafx Cosmetics, LLC, located in Las Vegas, Nevada offers a complete collection of natural mineral makeup and natural skin care products. GeoGrafx products are handcrafted in small batches using natural raw materials including natural mineral pigments, pure plant oils, natural waxes, and the highest quality herbs, hydrosols, botanical extracts and essential oils.
The prefix “geo” means “of the Earth,” a fact that we at GeoGrafx don’t forget when we create our products. The word “natural” as it relates to cosmetic and skin care products seems to mean something different to everyone. Every cosmetic company and cosmetic handcrafter draws the line in a different place. Here’s where we draw the line: GeoGrafx products are free of mineral oil, petrolatum and other petrochemicals, harsh detergents, including Lauryl, Laureth and Ammonium Sulphates, propylene glycol, SD alcohol, formaldehyde, diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA), synthetic emulsifiers and thickeners, carbomers, acrylic polymers, FD & C dyes and, unless specifically indicated otherwise, paraben preservatives.
Canary Cosmetics… on the list
Canary Cosmetics, this Mineral Makeup Mutiny badge of authenticity is for you, as producers of unique, authentic mineral cosmetics. (Side note: When the indie MMU biz “broke” about 8 years ago, Canary Cosmetics was one of a handful of companies who were at the very beginning of the movement!) Please feel free to refer to this post, or to display the badge below on your site or blog.
Just Minerals, Pure and Simple, Canary Cosmetics
Canary Cosmetics has developed exclusive formulas for mineral makeup, lip balms, and moisturizers. We use the purest and simplest ingredients and blend them in small batches. Our formulas are only available from us under the Canary Cosmetics name. We believe in using ingredients that won’t hurt the environment or health. We do not do any testing on animals. We believe simple is best whether it is pure mineral makeup or the way we run our business.
What’s the significance of the Canary, and purple and yellow? The purple symbolizes wisdom and power, and the yellow represents the canary that chemically injured persons symbolize. Just like the warning that the canary in the coal mine gave to miners, the chemically injured are warning everyone of the dangers chemicals pose to our society. Join us in making the suffering of these chemically injured folks heard in a world that is rapidly being destroyed by the overuse and abuse of toxic chemicals.
