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.