The largest-selling brand of foundation in the US is Bare Escentuals; a mineral make-up. Is it that all Americans are so anti-chemical and environmentally conscious? Or could it quite simply be that mineral cosmetics can keep pace (or even outperform) their non-natural counterparts? Nevertheless, Britain is easily a decade behind America in the mineral revolution, and no one (particularly the brands’ European marketing teams) can understand why. Despite an average yearly increase of 9% since 2003 in natural and organic skincare, haircare and cosmetics, mineral make-up is still barely on the radar for most of us. So what are we really missing out on?

What is mineral make-up?
Mineral cosmetics are products composed of crushed minerals mined from the earth’s crust. While conventional foundations are made largely of fillers, preservatives, oils, fragrances and talc, mineral make-ups are 100% natural. Most brands of mineral cosmetics have ingredients you can number on one hand, namely mica (the second biggest constituent of the earth’s crust after oxygen), zinc oxides, iron oxides, and titanium dioxide.

Why choose a mineral product over my normal brand?
Those with sensitive skin and allergies are often the first to turn to mineral cosmetics because mica is 100% hypo-allergenic. However, there are more reasons than that. The intelligent consumer is aware that what she puts on her skin will be absorbed into her bloodstream, but mineral products offer nothing to worry about. They are not only genuinely natural, and therefore non-carcinogenic and non-hormone-disrupting, but also include further natural benefits. Zinc oxide is said to have healing properties and to actively reduce acne, rosacea and eczema, while titanium dioxide offers a broad range of sun protection.

If they’re so natural, how can you get such vibrant colours?
The minerals undergo a process of oxidisation, at differing levels, which produces the broad range of colours. It really is as simple as it sounds.

Is Bare Escentuals the brand I should opt for?
Maybe. Some Bare Escentuals products contain a mineral called Bismuth Oxycholride. While this is a primary reason many prefer Bare Escentuals (the mineral is especially good at binding the product to your skin) it is also a cause of concern for some because of its tendency to cause rashes and itchiness on those with very sensitive skin. If you find yourself in this group then consider trying Inika, which does not include Bismuth Oxide in any of their products. Bare Escentuals award-winning foundation comes in 15 different shades, so whether you’re pale as an English rose or have a dark glow then Bare Escentuals caters for you. Bare Escentuals longevity (they’ve been around since 1976) and sales, and the beautiful American women I’ve heard singing the brand’s praises, can’t all be wrong.

What about price?
Mineral brands in the UK generally fall into the same price category as high-end, professional brands like Mac, Clinique and Shu Uemura when you take into account how long they last… and they last a long time because they are so pure and concentrated; a little goes a very long way.

What do we really think?
We asked three of our readers, one in her 20s, one in her 30s and one in her 50s, to test the best-sellers from three of the UK’s top mineral brands: Bare Escentuals, Inika and BellaPierre. As we really should have anticipated, there were no overwhelming results – all women favour different colours and consistencies. And they have very different skin. But just as Yves St Laurent Touché Éclat really does work for most of us, so too were there some clear winners.

The top three
Bare Escentuals Meet The Browns. This trio of eye shadow is the
ultimate in versatility. You can use it to define your eyebrows (with a
cotton bud), mix with water for a long-lasting liner, or to build up to a colour that suits you. There is no sign of creasing on your eyelid, funky, recyclable packaging and fantastic, informative instructions.

Inika Vegan Kabuki Brush. Until now, I really believed that you could only get a really great brush by using animal hair, but Inika have proved me wrong. The wooden handle is sourced from sustainable forestry and the hair is synthetic. But our testers didn’t love it for its ethics; they loved it for its performance. Worth every penny!

BellaPierre Lip Wand smells great, is glossy but not sticky and can be used on its own as a moisturising lip gloss or mixed with one of BellaPierre’s 98 shimmer powders to get the colour and intensity you want. It doesn’t last as long as a Lancôme Juicy Tube, but is more versatile, and when it comes to lipstick, the knowledge that we ingest six pounds of the stuff over our lifetimes makes us want to eat something natural.

The losers
Inika Mineral lipstick. Although these are 100% vegan and 100% certified cruelty-free, all three testers commented that this lipstick dried out their lips. The staying-power is great and the stick is thin and easy to apply, but a far better alternative is Inika’s Creamy Crayon for lips which is matte without drying and gives a good four hours of colour.

BellaPierre Mineral Foundation. The price (£34.99) is well over Bare Esentuals (£24) or Inika (£25) and doesn’t deliver enough of a difference. It controls oil, covered blemishes well and lasts for about six hours, but so do the others and they cost less.