Bare Minerals

[Greg Bernhardt]

This is an interesting product because I know quite a few females who use it and I know some salons even use it. Bare minerals is a makeup kit. They claim it's made from crushed minerals and is actually good for the skin. They also say is free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other potential skin irritants, is free of fillers and binders, is weightless, provides adjustable coverage—from light to full, will improve the condition of the skin over time. There are some reviews that it mde some customers breakout or get rashes.

http://www.bareminerals.com

[Moonbear]

This site http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml;jsessionid=AGI4ND0OF4PZUCV0KRRRXCQ?i d=P209821&categoryId=C7010
lists the ingredients in many of their products.

We have a relevant discussion in the biology forum about some of those ingredients: http://physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=224923

Especially since these products are applied as powders, BOTH the harmful effects to skin and the inhalation hazards are relevant. Titanium dioxide is one of the primary compounds being used to model the deleterious effects of nanoparticles because of the occupational exposure risks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18418868?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17947511?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17431489?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17409182?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

On the other hand, this article also mentions the usefulness of titanium dioxide as a sunscreen.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18312389?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
The question is whether they cause more harm than the sun they're protecting you from.

It's really a hot research topic, because these particles are used so commonly but their health effects have only fairly recently begun to be explored. The reason they're so much of a concern for inhalation exposure is that they can be so fine as to pass through the usual barriers protecting our respiratory system and get into the deep lung where they cause irritation.

[titanium]

Titanium dioxide as a sunscreen? That sounds interesting...We offer titanium mill products for years, but I've never heard of this before.

[Far Star]

A friend sent me some samples of a mineral makeup and I've been quite taken with it. The company in question also addresses the nano-particle issue upfront. Fairly rare in the scheme of things.

In case anyone wants to do more research on a product this page has links to most of the larger companies out there. They also have an ingredient list for many of them. I'd rather contact the company first hand, though.

Far Star

[mcknia07]

I use it, and so does my mother and we both have sensitive skin. This is lile the only make up we can use and not break out. I can actually leave it on all night, and still have nice skin.

[Max™]

Felt the urge to bump this to see what you all thought of my guess about why this stuff works.

I noticed that the slogan "swirl, tap, and buff" was VERY prominent... and wondered why.

Turns out the lid of the makeup jars is metal with a matte finish, the brush has a very particular type of bristle that resembles untreated hair, and the handle of the brushes are chromed metal. You're instructed to swirl the brush on the plastic inside of the lid, tap the chromed metal on the matte metal, and then buff it on your skin.

Anyone else think it sounds awfully like rubbing your socks on the carpet to generate a static charge to zap your friends/little sister with?

Just got me thinking, perhaps she worked out how to use that to make the mineral stuff stick without a heavy liquid to "glue" it on?

[hypatia]

All powder style make-up needs the excess tapped off the brush before you apply it.

[Max™]

Yeah, but after reading up on the triboelectric scale, I've come up with this:

Positive
Skin ~Application surface
Goat hair ~Bristles

Mica ~Makeup component

Wood ~Insulates between bristles and hand
Steel ~Further insulation
Zinc/Titanium/Bismuth Oxides ~Makeup component
Iron Oxide ~Makeup component

Plastic ~Lid component
Negative

You're rubbing a positively charged item (the goat bristles) against a negatively charged surface covered with powder that sits between the two on the triboelectric scale. Then you tap the smooth chrome handle (nearly neutral triboelectric) against the rough matte lid, which I would expect increases the charge difference between the handle, the bristles, and your skin while tapping off excess powder.

Then you brush the makeup on lightly, transferring the powder along with the charge you built up, causing it to adhere strongly to your skin.

Same concept as a piece of tape, positive backing, negative glue, when you peel it off it builds up a differential, when you apply it the charge transfers and the tape sticks.

[hypatia]

I could see a static charge occurring if the process took a much longer time.

[GeorginaS]

Max, I'm trying really hard to understand your point, here. I get that you're suggesting that the product "Bare Minerals" is held to a person's skin by static electricity. Which I do not have the science knowledge to argue. I *can* say that there is absolutely nothing exclusive (as hypatia pointed out) about the equipment or packaging involved with Bare Minerals make-up. All make-up powders are applied (or I could say "properly applied" because sponges may be employed, but the results aren't as good) in precisely the same method, using the same brush equipment as this product. Although some brushes have plastic handles and some powder packaging is entirely plastic, one still employs the swirl and tap method. If one doesn't tap the excess powder off of the brush before applying, one winds up with a blob of too much powder at the point where contact is made with the face.

The powders adhere to your skin even without the swirling and tapping. Those methods simply ensure that one evenly distributes the product over the largest brush area (swirling) and that one gets rid of potentially blobbing excessive amounts of product on the brush. The whole of that methodology has to do with achieving the right appearance with the product. It's not making certain that the powder will adhere to your face.

Here's a question, though, Max. Employing your theory, would a person's make-up spontaneously fall off if their face was to suddenly become the opposite charge of the make-up?

[hypatia]

Then we would carry mini static motors, of course hidden discreetly in our bras. I can see the info-mercials already.

[Max™]

Max, I'm trying really hard to understand your point, here. I get that you're suggesting that the product "Bare Minerals" is held to a person's skin by static electricity. Which I do not have the science knowledge to argue. I *can* say that there is absolutely nothing exclusive (as hypatia pointed out) about the equipment or packaging involved with Bare Minerals make-up. All make-up powders are applied (or I could say "properly applied" because sponges may be employed, but the results aren't as good) in precisely the same method, using the same brush equipment as this product. Although some brushes have plastic handles and some powder packaging is entirely plastic, one still employs the swirl and tap method. If one doesn't tap the excess powder off of the brush before applying, one winds up with a blob of too much powder at the point where contact is made with the face.

The powders adhere to your skin even without the swirling and tapping. Those methods simply ensure that one evenly distributes the product over the largest brush area (swirling) and that one gets rid of potentially blobbing excessive amounts of product on the brush. The whole of that methodology has to do with achieving the right appearance with the product. It's not making certain that the powder will adhere to your face.

Here's a question, though, Max. Employing your theory, would a person's make-up spontaneously fall off if their face was to suddenly become the opposite charge of the make-up?

I've noticed that other mineral makeups don't get the same reviews, or need a liquid to "glue" the powder on.

The brushes used by bare minerals are VERY particular in their design, no one else uses that same type of brush, and I can't find any explanation for why they INSIST you need to use those ones (wood/chrome/goat bristles), and why the insist you need to "swirl, tap, and buff" to the point that it is trademarked.

I've seen myself where my gf didn't get the same results from other mineral products, and I've seen her use different brushes without the usual results from the bare minerals powder.

A lightweight powder with even a slight triboelectric charge would adhere more strongly than otherwise, it doesn't take a long time to generate these types of charges, peeling tape off of a roll builds a charge differential between the glue and the backing.

Turning a TV on and off generates enough charge to make dust "glue" itself to the screen/box, I don't see why this makeup wouldn't benefit from the same effect.


Incidentally, yes, I do suspect the makeup would come off easier/easily if you applied the appropriate charge to your face.

[hypatia]

perhaps you should google goat hair make up brushes. They are very common, along with wood handles and metal bindings. I would be more concerned with a nylon brush.

[Max™]

Nylon is on the negative end of the triboelectric scale, if you're trying to set up a tape-adhesion type of effect you want positive -> negative <- positive for the skin -> minerals <- bristles I'd think.

The coarseness of the goat bristles helps pick up the makeup, but it would also help generate a charge.


Right now you have this:

Swirl: negative (plastic lid) -> less negative (makeup) <<- positive (bristles) <- less positive (handle)

Tap: middle of the scale + smooth (handle) -> more negative + rough (matte lid)

Buff: most positive (skin) <<- negative (makeup) <- less positive (bristles) -> more negative (handle)