It has been a really long time since I have updated my blog, so I thought that I'd come back in a big way and talk about something that is really important, moisturizer! Having your makeup look amazing starts with skin that is hydrated and prepped for makeup correctly. Whatever your skin type, dry, oily, combination, everyone needs moisturizer. But is your moisturizer really doing the work that it should? While I was at dinner with another makeup artist and close friend Lindsay, we started talking about cosmetics and quality ingredients.
Our thought had always been that the more expensive the skincare the higher the quality. Well, I am here to tell you that isn't always the case! Lindsay and I started talking about mineral oil. For those of you who don't know, mineral oil is an ingredient widely used in cosmetics and skincare. It is created as a byproduct when petroleum is distilled to create gasoline. Its primary purpose is to prevent water loss in the skin and is cheap and readily available. Because the primary purpose of mineral oil is to provide a barrier to the skin to prevent water loss, it is frequently used in moisturizers and other products for your skin.
Now this doesn't sound too bad, right? Mineral oil has come under fire in recent years for being cancer causing, but there hasn't been any scientific evidence to support it according to the European Chemicals Agency and the FDA hasn't ordered companies to stop using it. The problem with mineral oil lies in the barrier it creates on the skin.
Because one of the jobs of mineral oil is to prevent water loss and it creates a barrier on the skin, the more mineral oil the product contains the less likely that the other ingredients that actually do benefit to the skin will actually penetrate the skin. This led us to an important discovery, one of the most expensive skincare brands on the market had mineral oil in the top five ingredients. I hadn't even thought about looking on the boxes of moisturizer at the ingredients list, but it was an interesting idea. I always thought that the more expensive the brand of skincare the higher the quality of ingredients that do the most benefit of the skin.
Ingredients that are listed first are the ingredients that are used in highest concentration in the product. Ingredients that are not used in high quantities are listed towards the bottom of the ingredient list. I had just purchased a moisturizer that is part of a popular system from a well respected cosmetics brand. I went home after dinner with Lindsay and looked at the ingredients of my new moisturizer. Sure enough, listed in the top five ingredients was mineral oil. I looked at the price on the receipt, over $30. I felt totally duped and taken advantage of!
I have taken it upon myself to provide you with a short list of a few moisturizers that do not contain mineral oil. This list is not sponsored in any way, but rather a wide variety of products to help fit a variety of skin types and budgets. Everyone needs moisturizer, even people with oily skin. Next time you are looking for a moisturizer, take some extra time to ask about key ingredients (if you're at a department store or spa) or check the box for the ingredients. Another name for mineral oil is propylene glycol, so be on the lookout. If you don't know what an ingredient does, Google it! You'll be surprised what you find.
Drugstore Brands
Garnier SkinActive 3-in-1 Face Moisturizer with Aloe ($9)
Garnier SkinActive 3-in-1 Face Moisturizer with Rosewater ($10)
Honest Beauty Deep Hydration Face Cream ($28)
Burt's Bees Skin Nourishment Hydrating Gel Cream ($18)
Luxury Brands
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base ($60)
Bare Minerals Bare Haven Essential Moisturizing Soft Cream ($35)
Glossier Priming Moisturizer ($22)
Kiehl's Mom & Baby Moisturizing Cream ($19)
MAC Cosmetics Oil Control Lotion ($33)
*Lindsay is an artist for MAC and informed me that all of MAC's skincare is mineral oil and paraben free