K is concerned…As I was applying my loose mineral foundation, and it occurred to me that I was inhaling these fine particles daily. Is this ok for my lungs? Is there any research or testing done on the effects of inhaling these powders daily? Thank you for your help! If it matters- my Coastal Scents foundation contains: Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides, Rice Powder, Zinc Oxide, Boron Nitride,Magnesium Myristate, Kaolin Clay, Ultramarine Blue. (They readily list the ingredients on every product they sell. I appreciate that!)
The Right Brain calms K:
You’re right to be concerned about the effects of chemicals that enter your body, K, but in this case there is research that indicates foundation powders are safe for every day use.
Foundation power peril?
There are really two questions here: Do the particles enter your lungs and if they do, are they dangerous? The first question can be answered by looking at particle size. Inhalation is basically a function of size: large particles can’t get into the sensitive areas of your lungs. The general rule of thumb is that particles have to be below 10 microns before they can work their way into your lungs. (For those of you who are metric impaired, a micron is a millionth of a meter. In other words its very very very tiny.)
Here’s why: According the National Institute of Health, our respiratory system is pretty good at keeping airborne particles out of our lungs. The upper respiratory system, consisting of the nasal passages, trachea, and associated airways are good filters. Particles 100 microns or larger don’t really enter the airways at all. Particles between 10 and 100 microns get caught on nasal hairs, nasal mucosa, or mucus-covered ciliated epithelium in the bronchi and bronchioles. It’s the stuff thats smaller 10 microns that are able to travel into the alveolar ducts sacs where respiration takes place.
What size are powders used in makeup?
According to a typical source of cosmetic powders, mica is somewhere in the range of 10 to 60 microns. So there’s little chance it will penetrate deep enough into your lungs to pose a threat. Particles of titanium dioxide, on the other hand, are only about 0.30 microns in diameter which means they are small enough to be inhaled. But that doesn’t automatically mean it presents a health hazard. According the the Annals of Occupational Hygeine, Tio2 has been studied and found not to present an inhalation danger, even in large quantities Similar results were found for zinc oxide, another common ingredient with a particle size of about 0.12 microns.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
There is research done to ensure that cosmetic powders don’t post a health hazard so there’s not much to be worried about from using foundation powder. If you have specific health concerns our legal eagle, Bird Brain, would encourage you to consult your physician. Or you could just cover your face with one of the stylish hats shown in today’s picture while you apply your foundation powder.
What do YOU think? Are you worried about breathing the cosmetics you use every day? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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Did you guys ever review mineral makeup or did I miss it somehow?
“Or you could just cover your face with one of the stylish hats shown in today’s picture while you apply your foundation powder.”
How would this help?
@Paula: I think Righty was just trying to make a joke. Emphasis on TRYING.
What is the micron size of talc found in some mineral foundations powders???
what is the micron size of Talc, found in some mineral foundations???
@ Leah: Here’s a reference that indicates talc is safe when the particle size is above 5 microns.
http://www.erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/29/4/619
And here’s another that states that talc used in cosmetics is milled to a particle size greater than 5 microns.
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/HBI/26
@Cathy: No, you didn’t miss our mineral makeup review. I was supposed to compile all the data from the Left and Right Brains and create a report but I haven’t been able to get to it yet. You wouldn’t believe how much work they give me to do!
Hopefully we’ll figure out a way to issue our study on mineral foundation powder soon!
What about nanoparticles? Are the sizes you listed for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for regular-size particles or nanoparticles? Thanks!
I use mineral powder and never even thought about inhaling the particles. I know it gets everywhere when you use it. I still feel it is safer to use mineral powder rather than regular powder which contains toxic ingredients. One ingredient I never use is talc. It causes cancer and should be avoided. It is found in many powders and make-ups. My mother used talcum powder for her entire life. She passed away of ovarian cancer.
Regular powder does not contain ingredients that make it more toxic than mineral powder.
There isn’t a definitive definition about what is a nanoparticle but roughly chemists consider anything between 1 and 100 nanometers to be a nanoparticle.
I use mineral-based powder and blush for my face and I’v never given much thought to this, so thanks for sharing. That’s one less thing that I need to worry about
I’ve been using mineral powder for about 4 years. I used to be careful about not breathing as I apply it but, as you know, we all tend to get lax as time goes by in things like this. It does get everywhere.
I quit smoking in 1999. I had a doctor in the early 2000′s (pre 2004) tell me I was okay. I had escaped damage.
Now, I have a touch of emphysema. Lung x-rays from last Friday. So, much for having escaped those years of smoking. I have to consider all possible culprits. I feel better reading this research.
However, I have to know more and look more. Some additional sources would be welcome. I would rather err on the side of caution than damage myself further out of stubborn vanity.
I want to know how do you find out about particle size of a product. Can you just ask the manufacturer what the particle size is or do they have a product sheet that spells it all out.
Frankly, I don’t think the cosmetic industry is very regulated so they could be telling you one thing and doing another for money.
I want to know what are glass beads in Lancome’s Ageless Minerale with white sapphire complex. It is loose mineral powder. Glass beads, boron nitride, isononyl isononanote, cera carnuba wax, alumina, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, pathenol. May contain mica, CI 77163/bismuth oxychloride, CI 77891/titanium dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492/iron oxides, D31391/2. Are these ingrediants bad to be inhaling?