Cosmetic Additives

The term “mineral makeup” applies to a category of face makeup, including foundation, eye shadow, blusher, & bronzer made with loose, dry mineral powders. These powders are often mixed with oil-water emulsions. Lipsticks, liquid foundations & other liquid cosmetics, as well as compressed makeup such as eye shadow & blusher in compacts are often called mineral makeup if they have the same primary ingredients as dry mineral makeups.

However, liquid makeup must contain preservatives & compressed makeup must contain binders, which dry mineral makeup do not. Mineral makeup usually does not contain synthetic fragrances, preservatives, mineral oil, & chemical dyes. For this reason, dermatologists may consider mineral makeup to be gentler to the skin than makeup that contains those ingredients. Some minerals are nacreous or pearlescent, giving the skin a shining or sparking appearance. One example is bismuth oxychloride.

Although the chemical constituent of cosmetics sometimes causes concerns, some chemicals are widely seen as beneficial. Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide found in sunscreens have anti-inflammatory properties. Mineral makeups with those ingredients can have a calming effect on the skin, which is particularly important for those who suffer from inflammatory problems such as rosacea. Zinc oxide is also anti-microbial so mineral makeups can be beneficial for people with acne.

Mineral makeup is noncomedogenic (as long as it does not contain talc) & offers a mild amount of sun protection (because of the titanium dioxide & zinc oxide).

Because they do not contain liquid ingredients, mineral makeups have long shelf-lives.

The ozone layer, the natural sunscreen of the earth, is getting thinner. More harmful rays from sun are passing from this natural barrier. UVA & UVB rays passing through the barrier can cause deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in the skin which can lead to skin cancer. The most widely accepted solution to overcome this health problem is to use sunscreen products regularly & efficiently. The protection expectations from sunscreen products is increasing & new regulations have become effective.

For example, although in the past a high sun protection factor (SPF) was adequate for a sunscreen product to be claimed as a “good” product, today broad spectrum products are becoming a standard. Broad spectrum refers to min. critical wavelength should be greater than 370 nm & UVA/UVB ratio greater than 0.3. To achieve such a broad spectrum protection, chemical & physical active ingredients are utilised in sunscreen formulations. Some of the chemical filters may dissociate generate free radicals which can cause skin damage & irritation.

In addition, there is no single chemical UV filter which can provide broad spectrum coverage by itself. There are two physical filters used in sunscreen products approved by Food & Drug Administration (FDA) & EU regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 on cosmetic products; Zinc Oxide (ZnO) & Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). Between these two systems, ZnO is the only sunscreen ingredient that extensively covers both UVA & UVB as reported by FDA.

When ZnO is used as micron-sized particles, it causes undesired whitening effect & unsmooth feeling on the skin. On the other hand, when it is used as nano-sized particles although the whitening effect is mitigated, uncontrolled agglomeration & hence low surface area coverage becomes an issue. Utilisation of nano materials raises a great concern whether these nano particles can penetrate through the skin or not. Due to the possible danger of nano materials Non-Nano act groups & products emerged & strict controls have been implemented for nano materials.

Entekno Materials have developed a patented novel technology called MicNo® particle technology. MicNo® particles are designed platelet shaped micron particles which are composed of novel particles. Tailored MicNo® ZnO particles were tested as main ingredient in a sunscreen formulation at an independent laboratory & exhibited great potential as an active ingredient which brings not only broad spectrum, high SPF but also high transparency, smoothness & high surface area coverage per unit mass to the formulation.

Colourful cosmetic additives are actively used in many cosmetic products such as colour additives, concealers, protector & covering agents. Some of the important properties of the colourful cosmetic additives developed by Entekno are;

• Friendly products for both environment & human health
• Higher concealment
• Softer
• Easy application
• Wide colour range

Additive powders not only protect your skin from UV-rays thanks to the active ingredients used in it but also, offer higher concealment & softer touch feeling thanks to the mineral based composition. Additive materials can be produced with a large range of colour with inorganic colour pigments to special colour tones & the user’s request.

Colour cosmetic additive materials are presented to the user in two different forms: powder & suspension form.

Our cosmetic additive materials are passed through a chemical purity analysis at each production stage. Chemicals which are not allowed to be used in cosmetic products are always checked at every stage of production, beginning from raw material control to the final product control.

Although paraben, oxybenzone & avobenzone chemicals are well known to be banned chemicals in cosmetic products, much more harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic & mercury that directly affect the human nervous system are also checked all throughout the production stages.

Our cosmetic additives do not contain banned chemicals & the heavy metal content in our products is well below the limits defined by cosmetic regulations.

Maximum level of heavy metals in additives