Checking the ingredients of my partner's makeup over the weekend made me wonder where makeup users think their makeup comes from. Do they care? The answers I received were "I don't know" and "No". I suspect this may represent most makeup users. Mining is not the first thing (most) people think of when putting on makeup.

As a geologist, I am pleased that most of the ingredients are familiar ingredients. They are extracted from the earth in some way, a step or two away from their purely extracted form. Someone might argue that everything comes from the earth in some way, and I may have thought too much-so I narrowed down the exhaustive list to some of the main minerals that I think are the main dirty penetrators of the clean image-driven makeup industry. Only a few steps away from the face.

Our first mineral is a mineral that has been used in cosmetics for centuries: Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). It is mainly bundled with minerals such as rutile (TiO2) and ilmenite (FeTiO). These minerals appear in ore deposits around the world. These minerals are separated and then processed into TiO2. In addition to many other industrial uses, the addition of TiO2 can also brighten and enhance the color of cosmetics, and provide whiteness and opacity. It is also found in sunscreens and foods (such as sugar on donuts, or M on M&M candy).

The second mineral on the runway is mica. Mica is not a separate mineral, but a family of silicate minerals with different compositions formed in the form of flakes. If you have ever picked up a rock rich in mica, the compositional characteristics of mica are easy to understand. Mica is widely used in eye shadows, pressed powders, lipsticks and nail polishes to impart luster or pearly luster to the products. Mica can resist ultraviolet rays, heat, weather and chemical erosion, and can adhere to the skin.

Rocks rich in the clay mineral kaolinite (also called kaolin) are one of the more surprising ingredients to some people, because clay has a dirty, muddy, and generally unclean image. However, kaolin is widely used in cosmetics (not to mention beauty masks) as a way to absorb moisture. Kaolin is resistant to natural oils, so it adheres well to the skin.

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is not glamorous, but it is essential for uniform application of creams and for the treatment of dry and chapped skin. Most zinc oxide is produced from refined metallic zinc, while some are produced directly from zinc-containing ore or zinc salt.

Although these minerals are used as the basis of many color cosmetic products, some are used to create various color cosmetic shades. Iron oxides like the mineral hematite are responsible for the red, orange, yellow, brown, and black hues in cosmetics. Green, blue, purple and pink are all extracted from natural minerals containing chromium, copper and manganese.

So next time you see someone putting on makeup, remember to recite this article and impress them with your newly discovered knowledge.

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