Applying blusher can be a simple yet versatile step in your makeup routine, as it helps you to both contour and breathe life onto your face. Also, Snow White shows us how wonderful rosy cheeks can be – and who wouldn’t like to have a piece of Snow White’s timeless look? However, besides adding a beautiful highlight to your check, most mainstream blushers contain ingredients that may harm your skin.
A common ingredient found in a variety of mainstream blushers is Talc, a hydrous magnesium silicate, which is usually referred to as Talcum Powder in cosmetics. Usually included in the formula for powdery makeup products, such as face powders or blushers, talc is used as an (oil) absorbent, pore filler, skin protector and to make the product itself feel more velvety. While the EWG only ranks the ingredient a 3 out of 10 on its hazard scale, hence not as high-scoring as some of the chemicals we have featured in this blog series, it is still under suspicion to contain asbestos fibres.
Known to be a common cheap building material and found in old, everyday electrical appliances like flatirons or toasters, asbestos is linked to respiratory conditions and lung cancer. Even though makeup products usually contain asbestos-free talc, there may still remain a risk of asbestos residues. To quote The American Cancer Society: “The evidence about asbestos-free talc, which is still widely used, is less clear” [1]. This, in turn, may entail that the inhalation of finely milled blusher powders may affect your health.
Avoiding this potentially harmful ingredient doesn’t have to mean that you have to avoid a great variety of beautiful blushers, too. Rather, starting your #BeautyRevolution and choosing a talc-free blusher will show you that natural makeup offers a beautiful range of cheek colours. As examples for such a great colour range, we can highly recommend JANE IREDALE’s Pure Pressed Blush (read our blog post featuring the colour “whisper” here) or GREEN PEOPLE’s Mineral Powder Blush (watch our wedding makeup tutorial featuring the colour “rose” here).
Sources:
[1] http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer