Question for MMU/mineral sunscreen users - safe to inhale?
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free skin care · Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:33 pm

For those of you who use powdered MMUs or powdered sunscreen formulations, are you at all concerned about titanium dioxide toxicity? I've read for ages that the potential hazards of TO2 are generally present when it's in an airborne form, and Lavera's website used to have a blurb about how they were really hardcore about making sure their SS minerals were stabilized in a good cream/liquid base (I can't find that blurb anymore though). For references see here (though keep in mind that I think EWG/Skin Deep can be overly alarmist when it comes to lots of ingredient/product concerns).

I'm just curious if any of you have come across evidence to the contrary, or are simply not that concerned by the risk. I realize we take a lot of calculated risks, and I've always used formulas that have minerals, I've just never used something that's a loose powder containing almost entirely mineral ingredients (though that may change soon as many of you have tipped me off to mineral concealers!). I think maybe I've had a couple loose eye shadows with TO2 and other potentially airborne minerals, but that's it.

So, what do you think? Is this something we need to be careful about, or just a bunch of hype? And are there any references out there that might assuage my nervousness? I used to do some amateur sculpting and they always drilled into our brains how dangerous it was to inhale rock dust, and we actually had to get special construction-grade respirator masks when we were using power tools that ground the rocks very finely. One of my favorite sculptors actually died from rock dust in his lungs! Obviously I think crazy obsessive artists probably spend way more time inhaling that stuff than just us gals who make ourselves up, but just in case...

free skin care · Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:53 pm

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
This is an amazing site that gives you a rating and breakdown by ingredient for makeup, skincare, haircare products etc. Most of the MMUs seem to be low, and only go up with their % of bismuth, parabens, talc, inorganic color and the list goes on. What it doesn't seem to tell you about is the level to which you would have to be exposed, or the manner of delivery (if you were inclined to snort your MMU)...

free skin care · Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:17 pm

Yeah, I find Skin Deep to be super-useful for ingredient info - to a point. But I do think they're a bit overly cautious about many ingredients, as they list some of the most un-controversial stuff as potentially hazardous. But I agree, I'd like to know more about the amount and delivery required for contamination. Heh, Skin Deep linked to an OSHA study - maybe they'd have more information at OSHA! I'm going to see what I can dig up, now you've got me curious! Smile

... ten minutes later... I Googled "titanium dioxide inhalation hazard" and got a few sites specifying that the main lab tests found that the potential carcinogenic effects were very species-specific - i.e. it was a problem for rats, but not mice or hamsters so much, and hasn't been deemed particularly harsh on humans. Ya know, given how harmful UV rays are, I think I'm gonna throw in the paranoia towel and buy me some Peter Thomas Roth mineral sunscreen after all. I should've looked into this years ago!

free skin care · Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:27 pm

Ginnielizz, interesting point that I had never thought about! If anyone knows more about this I would love to know more. For whatever its worth, I do use MMU sunscreen (Colorscience)- which is in a container and does not create dust (at least it isn't visible to me) so it's not as "loose," if that makes sense. Hopefully I'm not poisoning myself!

free skin care · Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:29 pm

it's funny, because this was one of the major reasons I didn't like MMUs! It was equivalent to inhaling dust for me, that I'd literally hold my breath while applying a layer, then turn around to get a 'fresh' breath, free of residual powder in the air...perhaps i'm a tad paranoid? Laughing

free skin care · Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:47 am

ginnielizz wrote:

Yeah, I find Skin Deep to be super-useful for ingredient info - to a point. But I do think they're a bit overly cautious about many ingredients, as they list some of the most un-controversial stuff as potentially hazardous.

I totally agree, ginnielizz, Skin Deep has some useful info, but their information seems to be a tad over-cautious or... dare I say... paranoid. After reading some of their "product safety reviews", I felt like hiding in my closet and never ever using anything but water and air on my skin...

I'm learning that everything, everything in life, needs to be taken with a grain of salt (after freaking out about skincare ingredients a while back) and applied to your specific context (i.e. is this really something I should be concerned with for a specific reason?).

free skin care · Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:01 am

Totally true, and it does not just apply to skincare - I tend to be a lot more "natural" than some of my friends in many areas of life, but then they'll get surprised when I bleach the hell out of my clothes, or buy conventional fruit because it's on sale, or get my nails done, or try out some tooth whitening product. And I say, it all comes down to balance - you have to pick what sacrifices you'll make for fashion, comfort, convenience, environmental and personal responsibility, finances, etc... I tend to be pretty savvy and cautious in the realm of skincare, but then again, I'm gaga for lip stains that apply potentially toxic dyes directly onto your mouth, haha. So it comes down to what works for you.

That said, I really do think some minerals, like talc and mica, are harmful when inhaled - I remember hearing concerns about them from way before I even started looking into skincare (my dad collected rocks but he always had me be careful with those ones, and I knew a river guide who did rafting tours in a mica-infused river bed, and he always wore thin polyester socks under his river sandals to keep the mica out, because he said that over time it accumulates and is harmful - so guests needn't do it, but as it was his livelihood and he was constantly exposed, he was more cautious).

So I'm not super-concerned about these mineral colors, but I do think Hannah has the right idea in trying not to breathe them in too much! It's definitely something I'll keep an eye on, but I like the new mineral concealers I've been trying, so I'm not ready to ban MMUs anytime soon.

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