COSMETICS AND BATHROOM PRODUCTS:BLUSH MAKEUP.

BLUSH MAKEUP

Ancient Greek and Roman women were known to apply naturally occur- ring red pigments such as ocher, fucus, cinnabar, henna, safflower red, or cochineal as a type of rouge (red coloration) on their cheeks. Early European women used Brazilian redwood directly after access was gained to Western hemisphere resources, and red lead was also used until the early 1920s. Although early rouges were ointments, modern manufacturing allowed the blusher to be marketed in many forms, including liquid sus- pensions, emulsified creams and lotions, water-free creams, and hydrous and anhydrous gels. Currently, the pressed powder is the blusher market- ing style choice because of its desirable matte finish after application and long-lasting wear potential.

Major components of the pressed powder blusher include the powder phase and binder (or oil) phase. Components of the powder phase in- clude mineral powder fillers such as talc (a magnesium silicate), mica (a magnesium aluminum silicate), sericite (a form of hydrated mica), and kaolin (known as China clay). Talc is the most popular of all fillers used, as it tends to be virtually transparent depending on the particle size, and it is very soft to the touch. Although mica is also used extensively as a result of its transparency and smooth texture, it often exhibits a shiny appearance with skin application and has poor compression characteristics when used in a pressed powder. Modern non-oil control formulations rarely contain kaolin, as it tends to exhibit course texture, an extremely matte appearance, and excessive oil-absorption capabilities. Dry binders are also used to allow the compressed powder to retain form; these include metallic soaps such as zinc stearate and magnesium stearate and polymeric materials such as polyethylene. Also included in the dry powder phase of the blusher are colorants, including carmine, titanium diox- ide, iron oxides, chromium oxide greens, ultramarines, manganese violet, and yellow and red lake colors. Other types of chemicals included in blushers are spherical materials that provide a smooth texture for the product and allow for the optical effect of “soft focus” after application, such as silica, nylon, and polymethyl methacrylate. The oil phase or binder of the pressed powder blusher product consists typically of oils (e.g., sunflower oil, coconut oil, castor oil, mineral oil), esters (e.g., sorbitan ester), and/or waxes that provide a creamy texture (e.g., beeswax, candelilla wax, lanolin, carnauba wax). In addition, ingredients such as vitamins (e.g., tocopheryl acetate, tocopherol [vitamin E], retinyl palmi- tate, ascorbyl palmitate, panthenol), herbal extracts (e.g., comfrey root, rosemary, Aloe barbadensis), and preservatives (e.g., methylparaben, pro- pylparaben, butylparaben, imidazolidinyl urea) may also be added.