Categories: Beauty

Side-by-Side Mineral Makeup Comparisons

Each company has many different products, and to compare each would take up too much room, so I just chose one product carried by all mineral makeup lines: loose powder foundation. This is also the most common product purchased, making it the most useful to look at. It is a safe assumption that however a foundation compares, their other products will follow in a relative manner. After reading through many forums, questions asked on blogs, and large search engine advertisers, I’ve compared what I believe to be the most popular names on the market to the same loose mineral foundation powder offered by PurelyCosmetics.

If an ingredient is in bold, it’s not a natural earth mineral, and usually a skin-irritant or something else you don’t want on your face. Some of these ingredients need a chemist to understand! Note that many of these products contain several different types of parabens. Parabens are preservatives, and appear to have a link to breast cancer as well as excessive aging of the skin. Some of these non-earth minerals aren’t as bad as they sound; just fancy names for Vitamins E, K, C, & B (tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, ascorbyl palmitate, panthenol). Wax… well, do I need to say more?

Here’s how they stack up:

PURELY COSMETICS:

Net weight: 6gm Cost: $22.00 Cost/Gram: $3.67

Ingredients: Mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, zinc oxide. May contain ultramarine.

BARE ESCENTUALS:

Net weight: 2gm Cost: $25.00 Cost/Gram: $12.50

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, bismuth oxychloride, mica, iron oxide, zinc oxide. Products have expiration dates.

JANE IREDALE:

Net weight: 10.5gm Cost: $42.00 Cost/Gram: $40.00

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, mica, bismuth oxychloride, zinc stearate, dimethicone, boron nitride,stearic acid, pomegranate extract, may contain iron oxide, carmine, ultramarine.

GLO MINERALS:

Net weight: 10gm Cost: $37.00 Cost/Gram: $3.70

Ingredients:Phytonadione, green tea extract, tocopherol acetate, retinyl palmitate,ascorbyl palmitate, ethylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, mica, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, bismuth oxychloride. May contain iron oxides.

SHEER COVER:

Net weight: 1.5gm & 4gm Cost: $13.00-$20.00** Cost/Gram: $8.67-$5.00

Ingredients: Zinc oxide, boron nitride, bisabolol, aspalathus linearis leaf extract, bismuth oxycholoride. May contain titanium dioxide, mica iron oxides.

** Only sold in kits; priced based upon going Ebay bids. Products have expiration dates.

LAURA MERCIER:

Net weight: 9.6gm Cost: $35.00 Cost/Gram: $3.65

Ingredients: Zinc oxide, pearl powder, mica, bismuth oxychloride, titanium dioxide, iron oxides.

YOUNGBLOOD:

Net weight: 10gm Cost: $34.95 Cost/Gram: $3.50Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, bismuth oxychloride, mica, iron oxides.

L’OREAL BARE NATURALE:

Net weight: 10gm Cost: $14.99 Cost/Gram: $1.50

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, talc, boron nitrate, dimethicone, carnaba wax, cetyl dimethicone, trimethyloxysilicate, trisocetyl citrate, alde baradensis leaf juice, tocopheryroyl, panthenol.

BELEEVE:

Net weight: 10gm Cost: $25.00 Cost/Gram: $2.50

Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, iron oxide, bismuth oxychloride,boron nitride, cyclomethicone, green tea extract, mica superoxide dismutase, catalase, apple extract, horseradish, phospholipids, retinyl palmitate,tocopheryl acetate, lavender, sandalwood, geranium, ylang ylang, patchouli, rosemary, sage.

NEUTROGENA MINERAL SHEERS:

Net weight: 5gm Cost: $13.00 Cost/Gram: $2.60

Ingredients: Mica, bismuth oxychloride, iron oxides, titanium dioxide, polymethylate, retinyl palmitate, tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, pantothenic acid, soybean flour, silk powder, zinc stearate, sodium dehydrocetate, methylparaben, propylparaben.