Is Bismuth Oxychloride Safe and What Is It?

What is Bismuth Oxychloride? This question has been asked by many women and there is still confusion as to what Bismuth Oxychlorides’ origin is and whether or not it is safe to put on the skin. Short of having a chemical engineering degree, it is difficult to understand the attributes of this ingredient and how it is produced. This will be the condensed version for Bismuth Oxychloride, so I will leave out all the element symbols and chemical calculations.

Basics to know are.....to begin with…it is a common filler ingredient used in cosmetics and is a leading ingredient in some mass marketed mineral makeup sold by Bare Minerals, RAW Minerals, and Sheer Cover. You will also find it in professional lines of mineral cosmetics offered by Dermatologists, Spas and Medical Clinics such as Colorescience and Youngblood. It is considered a heavy mineral and requires the ongoing buffing mineral makeup companies advise in order to force it into the skin and pores to keep it from sliding off of your face. Over buffing of minerals can cause irritation and ongoing inflammation on sensitive skin types. Also it can make acne cystic by congesting pores and cause rosacea to flare.

Now for the scientific explanation of this ingredient: Some say it is from the earth and others say it is a by-product of lead and copper refining. To stipulate on this argument, both sides are correct. However even though Bismuth is found naturally in the earth, it actually is more commonly found in types of ores and is extracted through a smelting process. The mining of this mineral would not meet the demand of the cosmetics industry since it is not economical to mine it, making it very cost prohibitive, and even though it may be found naturally in the earth, bismuth still requires refinement to be safe to use on the skin. So through an extraction method it is typically a by–product of lead and copper refining and in its unrefined form, it is initially considered an impurity and many of its’ chemical properties are closely related to antimony and arsenic.

The different processes to create a purified bismuth oxychloride resembles something from a horror movie. This is the fact of the matter and this information is not designed to be used as a scare tactic toward women about bismuth being closely related chemically to Arsenic...... it just simply is what it is. However, let me state bismuth is less toxic than its' counterpart. Throughout the entire refining process bismuth accompanies lead and the other impurities such as tellurium and the aforementioned compounds are gathered in anode slimes. Wow... now this is a bit scary..... Slimes.....yuck! In keeping my wits about me, I investigated further.

The Bismuth then goes through what is known as the Betts process to separate it from the undesirable impurities as stated above: Basically it is run through an electrolytic solution of lead fluorosilicate and fluorosilicic acid and is then filtered, dried, and smelted and then further refined depending on the purity desired.

At this stage the bismuth is still not safe for cosmetic use.

The process continues as impurities are further removed through adding molten caustic zinc and then chlorinated. This then creates Bismuth Chloride.

But Wait....Still not for cosmetic use, yet!

Bismuth Chloride is then treated with water then dried to form a white precipitate so formed to expel the water. Then treated further with a dilute nitric acid solution of bismuth nitrate and sodium chloride....hence the latter being where certain companies want to claim it as a naturally occurring mineral salt.

Now through evaporation and crystallization, the compound produced is the safer non-toxic by-product which is now the pearlescent, creamy feeling ingredient used as a filler giving mineral makeup its’ glow or shine on the skin enhancing the appearance of younger looking skin. It also enhances excellent adhesion properties. As you can interpret here however, Bismuth Oxychloride is far from natural or straight from the earth.

As I quickly discovered with this ingredient when found in mineral makeup, it can cause extreme irritation and actually make skin conditions worse for many women. After learning of this extreme chemical process to manufacture Bismuth Oxychloride, one can wonder why skin reacts so intensely for many women who use this ingredient, or why they suddenly develop an allergy to the cosmetics containing it? Furthermore, it is described as a potential skin irritant within the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets). For those who say it has been used for years in the cosmetic industry without incident, this may be in part due to the fact it is a minor ingredient for most applications. However, with mineral makeup becoming so popular and this ingredient being the 1st or 2nd on the ingredient list, the ratios are heavily increased, enhancing the skin irritations we are only learning about today as more and more women switch from their traditional makeup feeling they are doing a better thing for their skin.

One of the leading mineral makeup companies wants you to believe that this mineral is found naturally in the earth, but as explained here, this is not practical and is unlikely, yet it sounds great as a marketing strategy.

After many women have written to me, they have conveyed this ingredient has wreaked havoc on otherwise healthy skin after they switched to mineral cosmetics containing this ingredient, and has been described as now experiencing burning and intense itching, while having ongoing problems even after discontinuing the use of products containing Bismuth Oxychloride. All things natural from the earth or processed for refinement don’t necessarily make them safe to use even with FDA approval. The overall consensus has been this ingredient works for some but not for the masses and those few only learn after it is too late, the damage Bismuth Oxychloride may have caused their skin.

My word of advice.....for those who have rosacea, skin sensitivities, or are prone to acne, this is an ingredient which should be avoided. This will typically not make your skin conditions improve but have shown them to actually intensify with increased irritation or intense itching as it did for me, especially in hot weather and after I'd perspire. I just don't feel this chemical compound should be on anyones' face in the quantity it is used as a main filler in mineral powders. Best to save bismuth for the antacids and the Peptos'....well maybe, but that's another subject!

Also, if after removing Bismuth Oxychloride from your favorite minerals you're still experiencing some irritation, then you may want to investigate a possibility to you being Mica Sensitive.

Ref; Handbook of Inorganic Chemical Compounds by Pradyot Patnaik
Ref; Chemistry of Arsenic, Antimony and Bismuth by Nicholas C. Norman

If you have your own story to tell about the use of Bismuth Oxychloride, please feel free to share it with us.

Have a great weekend.

Is All Mineral Makeup The Same?

When it comes to mineral makeup foundation, I definitely made the rounds in trying to figure out which one would work the best for my skin. Through a whole lot of testing, I discovered there wasn’t much difference between the many mineral makeup brands I tried. I usually found most mineral cosmetics had the same ingredients in them over and over, yet some would have a different texture..... How could this be?.... Same ingredients on the label, yet they felt different and my face reacted differently with them. I would itch, get acne and dry scaly patches, or the mineral cosmetic would literally slide off of my face. Some of the colors were really bad as well.

I decided to begin my research on the ingredients used, and discussed in great length with cosmetic professionals in the industry what the heck was going on with these different mineral makeup products? It was after much research and sampling different individual ingredients, did I only then, come to the realization what was happening to my skin when I used similar products. To my delight I learned that all mineral makeup is not created equal and there was definitely room for improvement.

Even though most mineral makeup ingredient labels read the same way, I discovered early on Bismuth Oxychloride was a big problem for my skin and many other women as well. So I knew this ingredient could not be in my makeup regimen. I also came to realize that most of the minerals were coated with various types of film formers, binders and silicone oils. This is what made the texture different and why some caused my skin to behave weirdly and would feel quite creamy, yet the coatings were not listed on the ingredient label. These coatings were simply blocking my pores, which was also giving me acne outbreaks, and why my makeup looked melted by the end of the day, or in some cases within just a few short hours. So I learned that I had to ask about some of these coatings to make sure they were not in the mineral makeup I used. Then I had to figure out once all of these problematic ingredients were removed from whatever current product line I was trying, why my face was still scaly and itchy?

This is when I learned mica was also a problem for my sensitive skin. Coated or un-coated micas, or creamy textured minerals, it didn’t matter since this ingredient in high doses caused my skin to react terribly with itching and scaly patches on my face. This ingredient also exacerbated my skin cancer treatments further. In fact, the problem areas I wanted to conceal were actually accentuated since these mica based formulas would slip into my fine lines, made the areas treated on my skin stand out, turn my acne cystic, show off my pores and even change color, usually turning my skin ashen or orange. What was up with that? At that time……color me confused! I spent countless dollars anywhere from the high end to discounted mineral cosmetics, and it didn’t matter how much each product line was, I always had the same reaction. I investigated some more and discovered that many companies are getting their mineral makeup from the same manufacturers and simply placing their own label on them. Another reason why changing companies did not work! Despite the explosion of mineral cosmetics onto the market, only a small handful of companies formulate their own mineral cosmetics, and of these few, some of them also will mass produce for private label.

Commercialized mineral cosmetics are even worse. Most drug store name brands have jumped on the mineral makeup bandwagon and along with their enterprising idea, they have included all the harmful gunk you find in liquid or chemically based formulations. Preservatives, chemicals, dyes, and just overall unnecessary ingredients that don't have a thing to do with true mineral makeup. What's the point? Unfortunately, teenagers are a strong target share of the market and are susceptible to their marketing tactics, and maybe purchasing these mass produced products thinking mineral makeup is all the same without giving another thought to checking the ingredient list. Another argument for research in order to offer mineral cosmetics made with the highest standards in care and formulation. My own daughter is a huge part of my life and her health and well being are important to me so she too has been educated on the differences of mineral makeup ingredients.

So, after all of my own research and money spent, I knew there had to be a better way. So I decided to restart my chemistry 101 from my college days and investigate putting together a formula that would work for my own skin. I was determined to create a mineral makeup formula that would not only do the job of aiding in healing and hiding facial imperfections, but would also not cause more distress to an already super sensitive skin type like myself.

Some of my first batches were like thick cake flour with poor dispersion. It felt heavy on, too. Not exactly the look I was going for. In fact it literally looked like I had put flour all over my face instead of a fine makeup since I was creating my base first without pigment. Pigment was secondary to me. It was more important that the mineral makeup base had perfect slip with excellent adhesion creating a smooth veil of silken, flawless coverage while doing its’ job at soothing and calming the skin without irritation or a caked on appearance. Once I had accomplished this task, color theory began and my pigments for my minerals were created...... Perfecting natural looking skin tones for all ethnicities.

After 2 years of trial and error, I came up with a wonderful skin healthy, skin friendly mineral cosmetic line that would truly be different and unique, not like any other minerals sold on the market today, and I simply had to share my formulation with others.

Are my ingredients in my mineral makeup line innovative?
Not really, they have been around for many years.

Is my mineral makeup line different?
Yes, since I control the formulas and they are not mass produced for private label. They are my formulas unique to my company.

Composition and ratios are what make a formula unique and the ability to create a mineral makeup, which through a proprietary blend, brings relief and excellent results to enhance skin healing, skin softness and beauty.

Are mineral cosmetics all created equal?
Many women think they are and until recently they pretty much were all the same. However not anymore.....even though I utilize the same un-coated, non-micronized essential minerals to provide an additional level of sun protection and aid in healing skin inflammations, I have taken the extra step by blending them with botanicals and other minerals that go beyond concealment, and will also aid in healing and prevention of skin problems, not add to them. I have removed the hidden offenders that were coating the essential minerals, and removed potential irritants such as Bismuth Oxychloride, used improved ingredients while reducing ratios on some ingredients (ie; sericite mica) and increased ratios on others that would provide a holistic healing benefit to the skin. This is what makes the proprietary blend of of my products so different from all other brands. I didn’t just tweak an existing basic formula, but truly developed an individual cosmetic formulation yet to be duplicated. My company is also a full disclosure company, listing every ingredient used in my mineral cosmetics.

With the use of our minerals, you may very well experience a remarkable difference in your skin health.

Have a terrific weekend! Sun is shining and it is going to be hot in beautiful Idaho....whoo hoo! ;~D

Skin Cancer Revisited.....Efudex Treatment!

About 7 years back my husband and I both were treated for precancerous skin cells and slow growing cancer cells that were beginning to appear on certain areas of our faces. In particular, above the eyebrows, nose, cheeks and the temple areas, mainly the side which is exposed to the drivers’ side window.

The doctor prescribed a chemotherapy cream called Efudex which attacked the bad cells and restored normal growth of our skin. The treatment lasted about 2 weeks and in this time the skin becomes inflamed, irritated, raw, weepy, crusty, and quite painful toward the tail end of the 2 weeks. You can barely touch your skin and while the skin sloughs off, washing your face becomes torture. In fact, the regimen can be so uncomfortable we opted to treat our faces in stages rather than our entire faces in one treatment. We chose the Efudex due to lower risk of scarring as compared to liquid nitrogen treatments.

Here are some sample pictures of the different levels of treatment depending on how much sun damage you have. As shown here, Efudex only attacks the abnormal skin cells and leaves normal ones’ alone. Despite the painful and prolonged treatment, the benefit of not injuring normal skin cells makes this the treatment of choice for many patients and doctors. Photos are provided by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Visit their website for more information at http://www.skincancer.org/.

Not only is the treatment extremely uncomfortable in terms of pain but can be a traumatic experience, especially for women. While enduring the cancer treatment in order to restore the damaged skin back to normal, it can destroy confidence and reduce self esteem while the changes are taking place. People tend to stare or ask questions. I could barely look at myself in the mirror as well. This was the time period I learned about mineral makeup and how it would serve my needs to help to conceal, while my skin healed at the same time without further irritation and discomfort. Some mineral cosmetics helped, most exacerbated the condition causing more itchiness and scaling.

My products were actually created out of need to deal with the sun damage I was facing and also due to not being able to find something that truly worked to the level of total soothing coverage. I knew despite the problems with other brands, mineral makeup was an important factor in maintaining good skin health. It truly was a miracle for my skin once I developed the perfect formula that not only helped my skin to look good, but provided great coverage while soothing inflamed skin helping my skin to recover in less than half the time as treatments prior without further itchiness or irritation. Plus during the treatment when the skin is so tender, I didn’t need to worry if all my mineral powder was removed like chemical formulations since it was made strictly with ingredients comprised of natural minerals and soothing botanicals known for their use in Ayurvedic Medicine today. No one could tell my skin was undergoing any treatment so I felt confident when I went out in public. This meant the world to me, especially in business.

Recently, my husband has been faced yet again with another treatment regimen of Efudex since symptoms have reoccurred on the temple side of his face and the redness and inflammation became embarrassing and painful. Since I wear my minerals everyday, I have not had a re-occurrence, but my husband has not been so diligent. In fact he resorted to facial sun screens, which now are a concern for me after doing research about the chemicals absorbing UV radiation and how they can be causing free radical damage to the skin through this process.

My husband decided to use my mineral makeup on the areas he was treating, and he was simply amazed at the level of natural looking coverage and how they brought instant relief to the erythema which was causing a burning sensation and made it almost impossible for him to touch his skin. With light, gentle application, the skin stopped itching and burning, the erythema calmed down, and allowed him to endure the treatment without the usual pain that accompanies it. Also since my mineral makeup is not a chemical sunscreen it did not sting the raw areas where it was applied. Plus he enjoyed the added bonus of no one being the wiser.

His treatment is over now and his skin literally healed within a week of discontinuing the cream. The minerals not only helped him get through it, but acted as a catalyst to faster healing time with minimal scarring due to not causing any additional irritation. Even though I have not had another occurrence, my faith in my mineral cosmetics was renewed and proven when I witnessed my husband reap the benefits from one of my formulas. He is truly a believer now also and wears the foundation powders everyday. The powders are so discreet, not a single person can even tell he has anything on. And this is very important when it comes to most men who do not wish to be pretentious. Most men are willing to live with the battle scars that life puts on our faces, but when it comes to discomfort most of them want as little pain as possible, as we all do.

So ladies, it may be up to you to help your man to understand the benefits of mineral powders, and their ability to soothe skin and combat against further sun damage. If you can get them past the thought that men shouldn't and don't wear makeup, and perhaps promote it more as a powder which makes their skin appear normal again, once tried, they too will be sold and hooked on how much younger and healthier looking their skin will be. As we all know women are the nurturers and we are the ones that typically help our loved ones take care of themselves. Men with the indestructible thinking, usually results in their downfall to poor health. So it is left up to us to look after them and see that they take care of themselves.

Pass it along….the man in your life will not regret it and love you for it!