Cosmetics are considered to be the thing that is being used in the modern era. But the fact is, it is not a current invention. Make-up has been used in different forms or features in different ages, using those ingredients that the artists invented in that specific period.
Mainly, eyes were the focused part of the women of ancient times. They must have their eye makeup ingredients. Let’s find out about eye makeup ingredients in ancient’s times and how it is prepared in today’s times.
Ancient Eyeshadow
Who Invented Eyeshadow?
The history of eye shadow started in ancient times. The first trace of the use of eyeshadow is found in ancient Egypt. The evidence of eye makeup usage has been found through the paths of eye paints, cosmetic palettes, pots, applicators, and other minerals that were used to make eye shadow at that time.
The ancient women used kohl on their eyelids to make them look darker. Also, they mixed crushed rocks with minerals to make body paints and eye makeup.
During the Victorian era, eye shadow or eye paints were famous. Women also used rice powder to hide any imperfections on their face. Just like today’s foundation and face powders.
Modern Eyeshadow
Eye shadows are the most demanding and well-organized industry in the modern age. Women around the globe use eye makeup, but many of us don’t know about the ingredients used to make eye shadow.
How are these ingredients used, and what are the steps to make these modern eye shadows? Let’s look deep down at these ingredients:
Eyeshadow Ingredients
There are typically four types of eye shadow base ingredients. These ingredients are:
- Base fillers
- Binders
- Slip
- Preservatives
Base Fillers
The formulation of eye shadows starts with base filler. Base fillers include the minerals such as mica, talc, or kaolin clay. These minerals add bulk to the eye shadow, which enhances texture. Base fillers make up 30% of eye shadow powders and 25% of cream eye shadows.
Mica is the essential ingredient for base filler as it absorbs moisture and provides shine to the eye shadow. Also, it makes it opaque.
The Truth About Mica
Mica powder is the primary ingredient in making eye shadows. You can DIY your favorite eye shadow at home using effortless recipes. Mica is widely used in many cosmetics, which gives a perfect shimmery look.
India is the largest producer and exporter of mica. Mica mining in India plays a vital role in its economy’s growth. But despite the growth and largest mica market, there are many controversies regarding child labor.
The government and concerned departments have taken initiatives to take action against child labor. Still, the mica industry remains dominant in India and shares a profitable growth in the economy.
Illegal mica mining is approximate 25%. Over 22,000 child laborers are working for this purpose. Some of the child laborers are as young as five years of age. Mining is not easy. Children are sent to dark and narrow spaces where they might cut, break a bone, or even they can die unknowingly.
Natural Mica & Synthetic Mica
The mica, a naturally occurring mineral, is known as natural mica, whereas the mica that aims to replicate the natural mica effect is synthetic mica.
Natural mica is mined using child labor because of the narrow spaces underneath the earth. This act has been declared illegal whilst synthetic mica is produced without violating human rights.
Though, both have their benefits. Let’s dig into the comparison of natural and synthetic mica:
| Natural Mica | Synthetic Mica |
| Naturally occurring minerals | Synthetic mica replicates the effect and appearance of natural mica. |
| 37 phyllosilicate minerals | Alleviating the harmful or toxic minerals present in natural mica |
| Natural mica is grey or murkier in color | Can produce more vivid colors |
| Natural mica has uneven edges that can damage skin | It doesn’t contain sharp edges that can damage skin |
| It has the worst surface smoothness, and it looks grey | It is smooth and not abrasive in shape and surface |
| It has to be mined | It requires no mining |
| It requires child labor | It doesn’t need child labor |
| Has potential for contamination with heavy metals and other impurities | It is produced in the lab, so it is free from heavy metal |
| Natural mica starts to stratify and changes its color at 200 ℃. | The melting point is 1350 ±5 ℃. |
Is Talc Safe for Skin
The powdered talc is another ingredient for base filler. It is mined from soft mineral talc as a valuable mineral.
It is crushed and then milled into powder. It doesn’t cause any chemical reaction.
Talc has been used in makeup for years. There are safety concerns that have been raised among consumers. By reading labels and using the product as it is directed.
But is it safer to use on the skin or not? US Food and Drug Administration has recognized talc as a safer-to-use product. People often use talc to soothe skin irritation. But remember to avoid using talc to open wounds, either on face skin or other body parts.
The risk of getting cancer through talc is a hot debate. But there is no evidence backing this fact. Meanwhile, inhaling cosmetic talc can cause serious problems, like inflammation, infections, breathing issues, eye irritation, burning sensation in the throat, and coughing. Additionally, if a baby accidentally swallows or inhales talcum powder, it can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Five thousand years ago, Egyptian and northwest women used the naturally occurring mineral and rice powder to lighten their skin tone. And then, the Chinese made face powders by mixing rice powder with ground talc and a type of clay known as kaolin.
It has a silky texture that makes it easy to apply and use in our daily routine. Talc absorbs oil nicely and provides a matte look. Also, it prevents from cakey look.
Talc is present in the following products:
- Concealer
- Blush
- Foundation
- Eye shadow
- Face powder
- Rouge
- Mascara
- Eyeliner
- Eyebrow pencil
- Lotion
- Moisturizing cream
- Face masks
- Lipstick
Kaolin Clay
Kaolin clay is used in skin care products and cosmetic formulations. It is used to draw out excess oil and sebum from the skin. It also exfoliates the skin gently. This clay is also used to bulk out products as a mild preservative. It expands the life of powdered cosmetics.
Kaolin clay is also known as China clay. It is enriched in a mineral called kaolinite. Other minerals are added to the kaolinite to make kaolin clay.
Pure kaolinite is white. The added minerals give kaolin clay a slight color, such as a pink hue from iron oxide or green from decomposing plant material.
There are the following benefits of kaolin clay:
- It absorbs excess oil from the skin’s surface. It helps to reduce shine from the skin and gives a good matte look.
- It lifts dirt from the skin and other impurities.
- Kaolin clay is a popular ingredient for making a clay mask
- It soothes the skin by reducing irritation and redness
- Kaolin is also used in exfoliating products because it does not dissolve fully in the water.
- It gently removes dead skin and enhances the skin’s natural cycle of shedding dead cells to slow down.
- Kaolin is used in cosmetic powders.
- It also functions as a natural preservative due to its absorbent properties.
Binders
Binders are used to provide eye shadow to stick nicely to the skin. After creating a base, binders are added. It gives lasting coverage to the eye shadow. Binders can be used in eye shadow as dry and liquid.
Zinc and magnesium are both commonly used as dry binders. Derivatives of zinc and magnesium are white powdered ingredients. Zinc also adds color and can be used to increase the thickness of the eyeshadow.
Whereas silicone, paraffin wax, mineral oil, or vegetable oils can be used as liquid binders.
The pigment is added to the ingredient of eye shadow to give eye shadow its color. Blend mica pigments into the formulas because mica pigments have various colors and shades.
There is a fun fact. You can add glycerin and jojoba oil as a binder to make a more natural eyeshadow. But using glycerin won’t allow eye shadow to last longer. Also, eye shadow can start molding within months. So, to prevent it add a few drops of preservatives.
Slip
Slip allows eye shadow to spread smoothly across the eyes without crumbling up. Many companies use silica or nylon due to their nature of colorlessness, and fine powder help to get better results. Other types of slip include dimethicone, boron nitride, or bismuth oxychloride.
Why Is Silica in My Products?
Silica, also known as quartz sand, has never been found in its natural form. But it comes with the combination of oxygen and two atoms of silicon and together makes a silicate ion SiO4. It is mainly in rocks like granite: Obsidian, diorite, and sandstone.
Silica is also produced synthetically as an absorbent powder and used as a thickening agent in cosmetics. Silica can improve the even distribution of pigments in cosmetics. It smooths out the eye shadow and allows you to apply eye shadow evenly.
Nylon – Nylon-12
Nylon is an artificial fiber that is made from the process called polymerizing. Chemical amine, hexamethylenediamine, and adipic acid are used in this process. At the same time, nylon-12 is a polymer used as a flexible solid.
But why use nylon and nylon-12 in cosmetics? The answer is simple yet very informative. The presence of nylon or its ingredient, i.e., nylon-12, is used to formulate hand creams, eye shadows, mascara, nail paints, and other skincare products.
- It reduces shine due to the oil on the face
- It provides a silky feel to the skin
- It expands and contracts without filling in a small line as you smile or speak.
- It provides you with a smooth appearance
Preservatives
The fourth and last base eye shadow ingredient is preservative.
Why Are Preservatives Used In Cosmetics?
Common Cosmetic Preservatives
The use of preservatives is beneficial in preventing harmful germs or bacteria growth in cosmetics. The two commonly used preservatives in cosmetics and other skincare products are parabens and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
Preservatives help to expand a product’s lifespan. Preservatives are also used in cosmetics to solve contamination.
Preservatives are often in the following products:
- Fragrance
- Shampoos
- Conditioners
- Lotion/ moisturizer
- Lip-stick
- Eye shadow
- Nail polish
- Nail glue
- Hair gel
- Anti-aging products
- Baby shampoo
- Body wash/ soap
- Hair products
- Color cosmetics
Types of Preservatives
Cosmetic manufacturers use physical and chemical preservative techniques to keep cosmetics safe. It includes the following to meet all safety requirements:
- Optimizing packaging
- Processes
- Ingredients
Cosmetics Expiration Date
Even with the preservatives in cosmetics, cosmetics expiration is two folds. There is an expiration of the unopened product on the packaging. Even if the product remains unused or unopened, it will expire on the stated date. The second expiration date is on the product. How many months or years will the product will be safer to use. It would help if you saw the label on the products. An image with an open lid and 6M or 24M mentioned on the bottle is the product’s expiration date after its opening.
Most Common Preservatives
The most common preservative that is safer to use in cosmetics are:
- Parabens
- Organic acids
- Isothiazolinones
- Glycol ethers
- Aldehydes
These preservatives safeguard the product from generating harmful germs and bacteria. Look for these preservatives in the primary eye shadow ingredient list while purchasing your makeup.
Conclusion
Eye shadows are the essential makeup products nowadays. Knowing about the essential eye shadow ingredient is a consumer right. There’s a compile of elements that you should consider while you make a purchase next time you shop an eye shadow.
We hope to provide the best information to find the right makeup product for you. Choose powdered or creamy eye shadow. Just look perfect and have fun using safer ingredients and eye shadows.