What is it about women and makeup? Even the simplest and most natural amongst us is guilty of a dab of artificial colour every now and then – be it a touch of colour from a lip gloss or a healthy glow from some blush over the cheeks we’ve all use a little here and there (organic or otherwise). For some it’s an issue of vanity for others it’s about being polite – you really wouldn’t want to show up for your sister’s wedding looking every bit of the last 3 sleepless nights you had nursing your baby, it wouldn’t make the family portrait a very pretty one and given it’s her wedding you’d like to respect that.
Right so makeup for various reasons plays an important role in our lives and since it’s a given that women have wells for eyes, wells mind you that are triggered into flood mode by even the slightest of emotions conventional makeup doesn’t always serve the purpose. You’ve seen the movies or you’ve been caught unsuspected in the rain. You know what it’s like to have your mascara bleed all over your face…in a word – horrible! And that’s why they came up with waterproof makeup – the very stuff that you’d want to use when moisture is around – at weddings, in the pool (if you do synchronized swimming), in the skating rink, etc.
But as popular as this range of cosmetics is, has anyone ever stopped to ask just what makes waterproof makeup waterproof? Well I did and I’ll have you know it’s not an easy task. Just pick up two waterproof mascaras of different brands and compare the ingredients, it’s likely you won’t spot the same name but the fact is in order to make the stuff waterproof, there has to be some sort of wax or oil in it – think oil-based or solvent-based paints.
I suppose if the makeup were to be more eco-friendly then the waterproofing compound would be derived from beeswax or vegetal based waxes like candelila wax. However, most cosmetics companies would use Dimethicone Copolyol which is a fancy scientific name for a Silicone derived emollient. Familiar with the term silicone? Well how about silicone toxicity?
Much like how silicone is used as a sealant for window edges etc, it works to make your makeup water resistant by coating the skin, trapping anything beneath it (the colours/makeup) and not allowing the skin to breathe. Silicone is also non-biodegradable which spells negative environmental impact.
Ironically if you did more research on the subject, you’ll find that dimethicone is also use medically to treat excessively dry skin. Probably works by trapping the moisture in the skin when you apply it directly after a shower.
Nonetheless, the concern over dimethicone is how it may promote tumors and accumulate in the liver and lymph nodes, so ladies I would advice to use waterproof makeup sparingly. Better safe than sorry.
