Friday, February 27, 2009

The Benefits of Makeup without Bismuth Oxychloride

By Marilyn Etzel

Mineral makeup is popular today for many reasons. For one, women want to healthy natural look to their skin when they wear makeup. Using minerals from the earth is one way to accomplish that. But, these helpful minerals are not the only ingredients in some mineral cosmetics.

One filler that is commonly used is bismuth oxychloride. The main component, bismuth, can be located on the periodic table squeezed between arsenic and antimony. From the former, you can guess that it keeps quite toxic company. As a standalone element, bismuth gives off unhealthy fumes when it is burned.

Bismuth undergoes a process of refinement for it to become cosmetic grade. Bismuth is combined with chlorine first. The reaction produces hydrochloric acid as a byproduct which is still dangerous. Oxygen is then thrown into the mix to produce a stable bismuth oxychloride compound. It has two textures: diamond and pearl. Both are used in mineral cosmetics.

When you ground up bismuth oxychloride, it becomes a fine crystalline powder. In mineral makeup, it provides a silky finish on the skin as well as helping the makeup to adhere to the skin for a flawless lasting look.

Women using mineral makeup containing bismuth oxychloride have a glow to their skin. Using the diamond texture of bismuth oxychloride leads to a shimmery effect on the skin. The pearlesque powder leaves a matte finish.

Everything about bismuth oxychloride is not bad. It has some good qualities but do they outweigh its potential towards the other end of the scale? A seamless look is still achieved without its presence.

Why you are better off without bismuth oxychloride

1. We mentioned the fact that bismuth oxychloride provides a shine to the face. While it can look natural if you want to appear sun-kissed in the summertime, most women want to wear makeup that avoids the shine effect. If you have oily skin, you already shine a bit and a mineral makeup that adds to the shine is not that appealing.

2. Do you have problems with your pores? Women who do look to their makeup to reduce the appearance of those pores. Mineral makeup that contains bismuth oxychloride actually accentuates the size of the pores instead of concealing them. To you, those same pores that were big already will look enormous now.

3. Mineral cosmetics pride themselves on presenting a natural look from the earth. Bismuth oxychloride doesn't come from the earth as it is. Natural minerals blend in to the skin. That is why they look and feel light. The components of this compound may be natural but they can be lethal if used in that state. Only a refining process will allow you to create the cosmetic filler.

4. Women using cosmetics with bismuth oxychloride can experience skin irritations. It causes itching, rashes, and breakouts on the skin. This can happen to women with healthy skin. Even if you don't suspect you will have any problems with the compound it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your makeup.

Are you using mineral makeup? Be sure that your brand doesn't contain bismuth oxychloride, a known irritant for some skin types.

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