Since mineral makeup has become such a hit in the cosmetic industry, there have been several claims of “bare” minerals, meaning that they are free of chemicals, fillers, and potentially skin-irritating ingredients. Even the biggest hit of them all, bareMinerals, has Bismuth Oxychloride in it – but what is it, and why is it bad for you?

For many people, this ingredient has no effect on their skin. I have several friends who can use bareMinerals just fine, without any skin irritations, yet there are always exceptions. For example, I never saw any improvements when I switched from Neutrogena liquid foundation to bareMinerals makeup. My skin has always been prone to mild acne, large pores, sensitivity, and oil – and nothing seemed to change.

Then I heard about Bismuth Oxychloride. But what is it, exactly?

Bismuth is a chemical found on the periodic table between arsenic and antimony. In the process to prepare it for cosmetics, it is refined and then combined with a diluted version of chlorine (yes, like the kind in your pool). The ratio between the two prevents it from being toxic, and it creates a shiny, pearlescent effect.

But because of this combination, it does irritate the skin of sensitive or acne prone people. It can create acne cysts on the surface of the face (those large, painful zits that never have a head), and can clog pores.

Here are the benefits of Bismuth Oxychloride:

1. It creates a pearlescent, shimmery look on the face.
2. It is considered a more expensive ingredient.
3. It is non-carcinogenic.

Here are the downfalls of Bismuth Oxychloride:

1. Because of the “shimmery” effect, if you are prone to oil or have combination skin, your face will appear more oily and shiny – not exactly the desired effect.
2. Because of the “shimmery” effect, pores become enlarged and need to be covered with an extra layer of “veil” in order to hide these magnified visible pores.
3. People who are prone to acne, rosacea, eczema, or are just sensitive, can have break outs, flare ups, or rashes in results of the chemicals.
4. Bismuth Oxychloride is not a natural occurring mineral – as stated above, it is created through several refining processes from Bismuth and Chlorine.

So I do recommend mineral makeup – but always look at the ingredients list. Our friends over at Premium Minerals created a list of ingredients commonly found in drugstore mineral makeup and why they are bad for skin.

My favorite mineral makeup brand is Premium Minerals, simply because they do keep their ingredients to the bare minimum. Plus, they have several skin creams/lotions/moisturizers/cleansers that are actually gentle and effective on my skin! I have to say, the reason I rarely have a pimple today is because of them. Don’t believe me? Try their 5 piece sampler kits, which you can get for free as long as you order something else (like their $3.99 LipSilkz, which adds sheer color with a healthy satiny feel – no waxy feel at all!). Also, here is a list of Premium Minerals ingredients which they use in their products, so you can compare their natural mineral list to others.

And even better icing on the cake? A regular sized (30gm) foundation is only $14.49 compared to the usual $25 for bareMinerals.

Now, how great does that sound? It’s at least worth a shot.

Check out Premium Minerals store below and shop through the best, most natural, least expensive brand of mineral makeup on the market!

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