When you look at the list of ingredients in foundation makeup, it seems overwhelming. But if you think about what it is that foundation is supposed to do, it really isn’t that complicated. Water is usually the first ingredient listed. Then, to help give spreadability and improve texture, anyone of a group of oils may be used. The most frequent choice is mineral oil. Fatty acid esters, such as isopropyl myristate, butyl oleate or myristyl myristate, are often included. Coverage is important in foundations, and titanium dioxide is a common choice.
Talc and/or kaolin are also used to improve coverage and as fillers. However, Zuri, which manufactures products aimed at the black market, avoids using titanium dioxide in its products because some experts feel that titanium dioxide produces an unflattering shade when applied to black women whose skin tone is exceptionally dark and has blue highlights.
Also included are fatty acids, such as stearic or oleic, and waxes, such as candelilla, carnauba, ozokerite and beeswax as well as lanolin waxes. Alkalies, such as borax, sodium hydroxide or potassium combine with fatty acids to produce an emulsifying agent that helps suspend the pigment, or color, in the foundation. Various gums and clays, including cellulose gum and xanthan gum, are used as coemulsifiers. You will often find a dispersing agent such as lecithin, as well as a surfactant such as sodium lauryl sulfate or a lanolin derivate. Because foundations contain oil, they need an antioxidant to fight rancidity. Some choices are BHA, BHT or tocopherols.
You should find an adequate preservative, and you may also find some form of fragrance. The pigment in foundations usually comes from iron oxides. They include iron oxide red, ochre, umber and sienna. You will probably also see some of the ultramarines, particularly ultramarine blue and ultramarine blue dioxide. Pearlescence is often also added.
