By Christine Preston, certified Holistic Skin Therapist and Founder of MySkinDiscovery.com, a virtual skin care consultancy, blog and shop dedicated to helping you achieve breakthrough skin care results at home.
Are you sabotaging your skin care by using low quality makeup? Many popular makeup products contain ingredients that can congest, breakout and even irritate your skin. Here’s why you should expect more from your makeup and wear mineral makeup instead.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Which ingredients to avoid in your makeup products
Why mineral makeup is best for sensitive and acne-prone skin
How to choose the right foundation for your skin
Which ingredients to avoid in makeup products
Over the past five years, I’ve seen how popular makeup products at Sephora and Shoppers Drug Mart have created congestion, breakouts and irritation on the skin.
Interestingly, my new clients are often more tied to their foundation than any other product in their morning skin care routine. It makes sense when you’re experiencing acne breakouts, facial redness or hyperpigmentation. Concealing these skin care concerns is a top priority.
Problem is, oftentimes these makeup products are contributing to their skin concerns. Look for the following culprits in your makeup products:
Talc
One of the most common ingredients I see in foundation makeup is talc. This texture enhancer is often used as an absorbent where it can steal moisture from the skin. Talc should not be applied to the skin when the epidermal barrier is damaged. Unfortunately, that’s the case with most of my new clients as they seek guidance for their dry or dehydrated skin, sensitive skin, rosacea, eczema or acne.
Fragrances
If your skin barrier is impaired like most of my new clients, consider avoiding fragrances too. Unfortunately, both natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients have caused allergic contact dermatitis. With a few of my clients, I’ve seen synthetic fragrances promote sensitive skin. If your skin barrier is healthy, you’ll likely won’t have a reaction to a few essential oils. I personally avoid all synthetic fragrances in all my personal care products as I’d like to avoid even low-grade inflammation that may be undetectable to the eye.
D+C Red #3, 17, 21, 30, 36
These specific synthetic dyes have been shown to irritate the skin. I had one client who loved her Two Faced Contour Palette. After testing, we identified it was the cause of the breakout reaction she was experiencing on her cheeks. Look for these in your blush too!
Octinoxate
Although the intent is there to protect the skin, octinoxate isn’t the best option if you have sensitive skin or acne. This synthetic UV filter can promote sensitivity in compromised skin and heat that is created when the body disposes of this ingredient can promote hyperpigmentation so it’s also best to avoid synthetic UV filters like octinoxate if you have a darker skin tone.
Alcohol
Denatured alcohol is another ingredient you may find in your makeup products. This ingredient will dry out your skin’s natural moisturizing factors and dehydrate your skin. This may cause your skin to create more oil or cause flakes on the surface of your skin over time. If the rest of the makeup formulation looks solid, just make sure it isn’t too high up on the ingredient list.
Mineral oil
I’ve seen time and time again how this ingredient clogs pores and creates acne. Also known as petrolatum and paraffin oil, this ingredient is often found in low-quality cosmetics as it’s an inexpensive filler and occlusive agent - no good for acne-prone skin.
Coconut oil
Organic coconut oil is highly comedogenic on the skin. Capric/caprylic triglyceride, also known as fractionated coconut oil on the other hand will not contribute to acne breakouts.
PTFE
Teflon, also known as ethene, tetrafluoro or polytetrafluoroethylene is suspected to trigger acne in some individuals. If you’ve noticed that your toothpaste or drinking water has contributed to your acne, I’d recommend avoiding this ingredient too.
BHT
Butylated Hydroxytoluene is a suspected hormone disruptor that has been labeled as toxic or harmful in the Environment Canada Domestic Substance List. Further, this ingredient can promote sensitive skin in compromised individuals.
Visit our recent blog for a comprehensive list of acne-causing ingredients.
To give you an idea of just how prevalent these ingredients are in makeup products today, let’s take a look at how 3 popular makeup products rate on Think Dirty:
Be sure to review the ingredient labels on your makeup products to avoid sabotaging your skin care routine!
Why you should wear mineral makeup
Skin Discovery has tried and tested many top makeup brands in the US and Canada, including Jane Iredale, PRIIA Cosmetics and Bare Minerals.
Glo Skin Beauty stood out as the best for colour therapy, compatibility with sensitive and acne-prone skin and for its ability to improve the look and health of the skin itself.
Rather than just covering up your flaws and imperfections, mineral makeup offers compelling skin benefits that make it worth the switch:
Environmental protection
All of Glo Skin Beauty’s makeup formulations are infused with vitamin A, C, E and green tea extract to neutralize free radicals that damage the skin. Most of their foundations also contain SPF 15 that work with your sunscreen for added photo protection as you wear it.
Skin barrier support
Mineral makeup creates a barrier between your skin and your environment, thus protecting your skin from the elements. Mineral makeup is free of parabens, harsh colourants, nanotechnology and talc to allow a silky, even coverage that enhances skin’s beauty. The ingredients won’t clog pores, dry out your skin or create more oil. Instead, they contain ingredients that protect the skin while delivering the coverage level and finish you want.
Weightless coverage
Mineral foundations won’t clog pores, create congestion or promote acne thanks to their light, non-comedogenic nature. Glo skin beauty triple mills their minerals to ensure every application provides even, continuous coverage that lasts. Glo Skin Beauty uses lake colours versus D + C dyes that can irritate the skin and clog pores.With acne-prone skin where bumps are more challenging to camouflage, these ultra fine minerals are able to create an HD effect on the skin without the use of oils that can feed acne bacteria.
How to choose the right foundation for your skin
Acne-prone skin
If your skin is oily, combination or prone to acne breakouts, choose the HD stick as your concealer and or foundation. You can also layer the pressed powder to achieve the finish you want. Both of these foundations are oil-free and acne-safe and will support your barrier function in protecting your skin.
Sensitive skin
If you’re experiencing facial redness from sensitive skin, reactive skin or rosacea, choose the HD stick to conceal redness and even out your complexion. You can layer the pressed base for a flawless look and use bronzer to contour your face for added dimension.
Dry skin
If your skin tends to be on the dry side, consider the satin cream foundation. The silicones, antioxidants and SPF 15 will infuse moisture and further protect your skin during the day while providing an even complexion with zero flashback in photos or video -- hello zoom meetings!
Want a professional colour match? Visit my shop!
All Clean Beauty Forum posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any product/service.
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