Credit: Louise Lister
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Apart from being much less reliant on crude oils (there is still some involved in grinding the minerals), mineral make-up contains no talc, mineral oil, alcohol, artificial colours, synthetic dyes or parabens - which means you're getting none of the pollution, animal testing, or embodied energy associated with conventional products.
Removing these ingredients from the manufacturing process also means removing a ghastly list of potentially toxic chemicals from your skin routine, and from the water system when you wash it off - so you can forget about polluting your body and our waterways.
"Reported allergic reactions are rare, too," explains Jodye Strickland, owner and founder of Australian mineral make-up company Earthy Essences.
"That's because there's no fragrances, dyes, and preservatives, while the main ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, actually create a natural sunscreen for the skin."
Earthy Essences is vegan friendly, certified cruelty free, uses certified organic ingredients, recyclable plastics for packaging and is in the process of switching to corn-based labels.
Better still, she says, it's also extremely concentrated, which not only benefits your wallet, but means "better things for the planet".
We're worth it
Of course, as the minerals themselves come from the planet, mineral make-up isn't entirely without effect on our Earth.
But while many minerals require intensive mining, mineral scientist Bob Flann points out that, "the minerals used in make-up are not really mined, they're simply dug up."
"So if you wanted to consider the total energy in the 10 grams of powder in a make-up container," he says, "the manufacturing process for the packaging would generally be a heck of a lot more energy intensive than that of the ingredients themselves!"
Solve this issue by purchasing from companies that make use of recycled materials for their packaging and marketing materials, Flann says, and you're lessening your footprint by a long way.
Then, enjoy the beautiful colours of Mother Earth in your bathroom, as well as in your backyard - because you, and our Earth, are worth it.
