I know people who have no issues with this ingredient which is used by many major mineral cosmetic companies — some people wear it and love it to death, while others (including myself) get an itching, burning rash, and sometimes even bleeding or cystic acne.

The issue that is in mineral cosmetics that can cause such a problem is called bismuth oxychloride.  Bismuth oxychloride is made of three separate elements.  The first is bismuth, which rests nicely on the periodic table inbetween arsenic and atimony; it’s number 83 and has the obvious abbreviation of Bi (if you wanted to go look it up).  Once bismuth is harvested, it then goes through several refining processes to remove extra dangerous elements -such as lead- and is then chlorinated, giving us bismuth chloride.  This chemical compound smells like hydrochloric acid.  After this process, the bismuth chloride is mixed with water, replacing some of the chloride atoms with oxygen from the water.  The result?  Bismuth oxychloride.  (Bismuth oxychloride is not a natural occurring element, which makes it silly to call it organic when in reality, the process it takes to get to its end result is far from natural.)

Bismuth oxychloride comes in two forms, crystalline and pearl.  Crystalline bismuth oxychloride will give you that “natural glow” appearance in your mineral cosmetics, and the pearl will give you a more matte finish.  Obviously, most companies tend to use the crystalline form just because they really do want to give you that natural glow.

The problem with crystalline bismuth oxychloride is that it can cause severe irritation.  When you buff it into the skin, you are buffing these teeny little crystals into your pores, which scratches delicately at your skin, and causes cystic acne.  Not to mention, an increasing number of women are allergic to it — upwards of 75% of users will develop an allergy before three years of use, while the argument of Bare Minerals is that women have allergies and reactions to preservatives in cosmetics (which are called unnatural, whilst one of their ingredients is also unnatural), less than 5% of women in studies show any reaction to preservatives (sad, yes?).  And to think, all preservatives do is keep our cosmetics from having an experation date.

We must also remember that our bodies try to purge and reject anything that’s bad from it.  If we ingested arsenic, our bodies would go through a series of painful processes in attempt to rid itself of the toxin (though, we would most likely die in the process).  Since the skin is the body’s largest organ, it’s safe to assume that it would do the same with ingredients such as bismuth oxychloride.

It is a common ingredient in many products for the face, eyes, lips and nails.  It is an extremely inexpensive filler, making it great for companies who don’t want to spend more money on more expensive minerals.

“Bismuth oxychloride is considered a skin irritant and can cause itching and rashes and in large amounts it can cause cystic acne as well – it’s one of the ingredients you should try to avoid if you have acne or rosacea or sensitive skin,” says Frew, who also reminds us that some products in a line have this ingredient, while others do not. “Some products also contain very little, so it doesn’t act like an irritant, but you won’t know until you try it.”

I had to quit my job at Ulta because of bismuth oxychloride — after a shift at work as a prestige cosmetics consultant, my hands would either be red, irritated and itching; or literally bleeding.  My future sister-in-law had unbelievable cystic acne caused by the ingredient, and that’s coming from a board certified dermatologist who spent three months with her undoing the damage the product caused.  Another girl I went to school with within two weeks of using, it was making her sensitive skin bleed.

If you love mineral make up, my suggestion is to check your ingredient listing.  Bismuth oxychloride can also be used for pigmentation, but there are plenty of cosmetics companies that either do not include it, or in the ingredients -down at the very bottom- it says “may include” followed by bismuth oxychloride — these products would be your best, and safest bet.

SOURCES:
1. http://potency.berkeley.edu/chempages/BISMUTH%20OXYCHLORIDE.html
2. http://ezinearticles.com/?Bismuth-Oxychloride-in-Mineral-Makeup&id=1514493
3. http://community.qvc.com/topic/Beauty-Dilemmas/Worried-Bismuth-Oxychloride/4000042048
4. http://reviews.ebay.com/Watch-out-for-Bismuth-Oxychloride_W0QQugidZ10000000001831889?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:1
5. http://www.makeuptalk.com/forums/f148/mineral-makeup-bismuth-oxychloride-56080.html
6. http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/features/the-lowdown-on-mineral-makeup
7. http://www.carefreebeauty.eu/sensitiveskin/bismuth
8. http://www.isnare.com/?aid=345426&ca=Womens+Interest

Mineral foundations that do not (or most likely do not except in certain colors and in very small, non-irritating doses) include bismuth oxychloride:
1. Everyday Minerals
2. Nixie Matte Loose Mineral Foundation
3. Jane Iredale
4. Mary Kay
5. Beauty From The Earth
6. MAC Cosmetics (I spent nearly 20 minutes on the phone waiting for the rep to figure this one out for you guys I was so happy to see that they don’t!)
7.  Afterglow Cosmetics

Do you know of any other mineral cosmetics that do not contain the skin irritant bismuth oxychloride?  Please e-mail them to me at molly.loretta@gmail.com!