Battle of the Brands: Which Mineral Powder is the Best for Your Skin?

Recently, cosmetics companies have been having a field day trailing on the success of Bare Escentuals, each releasing their own formulation of mineral powder.  Because it’s rather difficult to tell them all apart, FutureDerm is here to come to the rescue.  To find out which has the best ingredients, as well as the best texture, read on…

Contender #1:  Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation ($12.99, Drugstore.com)

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation claims to “enhance skin clarity, tone, and texture.”  Ingredients-wise, it lives up to the claims, with a plethora of skin-beneficial ingredients.  Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E) are one of my favorite combinations of ingredients, and are well-touted throughout this blog.  Vitamin C and vitamin E synergistically enhance the power of one another, and have been reported by Djerassi et. al. to prevent the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines, and have also been shown in this 1996 study, amongst others, to enhance the photoprotective effects of sunscreen.  One further thing I love:  vitamin C is often unstable in formulations, but according to Dr. Burgess’s Cosmetic Dermatology textbook, “the most stable vitamin C preparations remain anhydrous or completely water-free,” like in Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation.

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation also contains retinyl palmitate.  Although retinyl palmitate was found in a 1997 study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology to be less effective in penetrating the skin than retinol, it has been shown to exhibit the collagen-stimulating, smoothing, and wrinkle-reducing properties of retinol over time. In addition, retinyl palmitate has also been shown to be less irritating than retinol, which makes it promising in a powder formulation.

The final ingredient in Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation that I love is soybean flour.  Soybean has been shown in numerous studies to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, to stimulate collagen and hyaluronic acid production of human fibroblasts in vitro, and to lighten the appearance of sunspots after use for two weeks.

As far as product application goes, Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation goes on easily, even over sunscreen.  The high concentration of mica and silica in the product makes it reflect the light, while the dimethicone makes it thicker than other Neutrogena powders I have tried in the past.  It covers well and looks great, and I think it is the best choice if you are looking for light to medium coverage with skin-beneficial ingredients. Just one caveat:  do not expect this or any other powder to give you sun protection.  Although it says SPF 20, any powder product requires about 14 times the amount of normal powder application to receive the SPF listed on the package, so a powder with an SPF of 20 is really providing an SPF of about 1.2 with normal use.

Active Ingredients: Titanium dioxide.  Inactive Ingredients: Mica, Octyldodecyl Stearoyl Stearate, Zinc Stearate, Silica, Dimethicone, Oryza Sativa Starch (Rice), Magnesium Myristate, Methicone, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Pantothenic Acid, Panthenol, Glycine Soja Flour (Soybean), Alumina, Silk Powder, Water, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain: Iron Oxides, Nylon 12, Carmine

Contender #2:  Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 ($22.50, Clinique.com)

Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 claims to be “a long-wear formula” that “keeps pores out of trouble.”  That’s always good – I was pretty upset the last time I had to go downtown and bail my pores out.  (Sorry, I’ll stop putting bad humor in here, haha.)

At any rate, Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 is a solid talc-based formulation.  Suitable for dry skin, Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 contains sodium hyaluronate, which in its unprotonated form as hyaluronic acid is a natural moisturizing factor that binds up to 1000 times its weight in water, according to one of my favorite dermatologists, Dr. Leslie Baumann. However, sodium hyaluronate, with similar water-binding abilities, is commonly used instead of hyaluronic acid in skincare products due to its greater chemical stability (Kewpie) and still-hydrating capabilities.

When applied, Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15 feels thicker than Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation, and I feel that it provides greater (heavier) coverage.  I like this product better than Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder for dry skin types or for those women who would like more coverage.  Still, like with the Neutrogena product, don’t expect to get an SPF of more than 1 with this product.

Ingredients (01 Fair And 04 Neutral)
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 13.00% • Octinoxate 2.00%
Ingredients: Talc • Dimethicone • Nylon-12 • Silica • Squalane • Boron Nitride • Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer • Cetyl Caprylate • Diisostearyl Malate • Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate • Methicone • Aluminum Hydroxide • Glycerin • Sodium Hyaluronate • Magnesium Palmitoyl Glutamate • Sodium Palmitoyl Sarcosinate • Palmitoyl Proline • Alumina • Tocopherol • Palmitic Acid • 1,2-Hexanediol • Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate • Tin Oxide • Sodium Dehydroacetate • [+/- Iron Oxides (Ci 77499, Ci 77492, Ci 77491) • Mica • Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)]

Ingredients (07 Deep)
Active Ingredient: Titanium Dioxide 6.90%
Ingredients: Talc • Silica • Isostearyl Palmitate • Methicone • Sodium Hyaluronate • Triethoxycaprylylsilane • Nylon-12 • Glycerin • Alumina • Tetrasodium Edta • Chlorphenesin • Potassium Sorbate • Sodium Dehydroacetate • [+/- Mica • Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891) • Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)]

Contender #3:  Avon Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup ($22.50, Avon.com)

Avon Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup is free of talc, oil, or fragrance.  Of all three powders, Avon Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup is definitely the formulation closest to Bare Escentuals, with mica, bismuth oxychloride, and iron oxides.  The consistency of Avon Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup is also the most similar to Bare Escentuals, with a half-foundation/half-powder type duality, and mastery of the application technique is a must.

Ascorbyl palmitate (a form of vitamin C) and tocopherol (vitamin E) provide some additional sun protection, while retinyl palmitate helps to refine skin texture and to improve cell turnover over time.  The product feels like a heavier powder but covers like a good foundation, and stays put all day.  If you are looking for a mineral powder experience that is completely distinct from normal powders, then I would recommend Avon Ideal Shade Mineral Makeup over the other two.  (And again, wear sunscreen under it!!!)

Ingredients

MICA
TITANIUM DIOXIDE
KAOLIN
ZINC PCA
SODIUM HYALURONATE
SODIUM PCA
LECITHIN
UREA
C12-15 ALKYL BENZOATE
SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE
WATER/EAU
LAURYL PCA
TREHALOSE
ASCORBYL PALMITATE
ATELOCOLLAGEN
PHENYL TRIMETHICONE
BETA-CAROTENE
POLYQUATERNIUM-51
RETINYL PALMITATE
SODIUM CHONDROITIN SULFATE
TOCOPHEROL
NYLON-12
METHYLPARABEN
PROPYLPARABEN

MAY CONTAIN:

IRON OXIDES
BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE