Varsity's Choice

New trend: Mineral make-up

by Toni Ip

Flaky or itchy skin can be constant problems to women wearing cosmetics containing unwelcome chemicals. For years, scientists have been scratching beneath the surface to come up with healthier cosmetics. And they now have found an answer – mineral make-up.

Though it is the latest trend in cosmetics, its ingredients are as old as hills. Minerals are popping up in foundations and lipsticks.

Unlike traditional make-up, mineral cosmetics contain no sensitive substances such as dyes, said Chan So-ngor, spokesman for a new label of mineral make-up, GeoFlair.

Mineral make-up’s major ingredients, instead, are mica, titanium dioxide and iron oxide.

This new discovery is claimed to be harmless to skin and good for all skin types, as the ingredients possess natural healing qualities, like balancing skin’s natural oil.

“Mineral make-up will not harbour any bacteria, which helps avoiding skin problems like acne and allergies,” Mr Chan said.

Still, critics are sceptical about mineral cosmetics, which seem to be perfect. Kevin Leung Wing-por from the chemistry department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong said: “I don’t believe it has natural healing power.”
Leung, who is an expert at organometallic compounds, said all cosmetics, both traditional and mineral ones, would be free from bacteria after sterilisation, and in fact, bacteria bred on nutrients from human sweat and skin secretion.

“We have to analyse it (mineral make-up) scientifically,” Leung said. “Only after proper testing I will trust it. But for the consumers, they will be satisfied when they find no problem after using it.”

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