Ingredient Close-Up: Aloe Vera

Revered for centuries for its skin-soothing and healing properties, aloe vera is among the world’s oldest medicines. Known as the “lily of the desert” and the “plant of immortality,” records of the succulent plant have been traced back as far as the 16th century BCE. Cleopatra is said to have used the plant’s juicy gel to condition her skin and both the Greeks and the Romans committed it to their standard pharmacopeias. Today, the venerated botanical is a staple of cosmetic, cosmeceutical and even dietary formulas. Thanks to modern science, we’ve uncovered many of the dynamics behind this miracle plant.

Check out these aloe-infused Pür Minerals makeup and skin care products for supple, silky-smooth skin:
Mineral Shea Butter Lipstick
Mineral Melt
Pür Polish
Revitalizing Facial Wash
Mineral Moisture Infusion

Aloe Vera as a Skin Soother
Originally used to treat burns and wounds, much of aloe vera’s soothing nature comes from its physical rather than chemical makeup. Applied topically, the plant’s viscous gel acts as a barrier, repelling pollutants and locking in moisture. Chemically, aloe vera is rich in polysaccharides, sterols and amino acids—biologically active compounds that target inflammation and calm the skin.

Aloe Vera and the Immune System
Increasingly popular in sun burn treatments, aloe vera helps jumpstart the body’s immune response when overwhelmed by environmental stressors. Research has shown that aloe vera can actually reverse the immune suppression caused by UV overexposure. Additionally, studies suggest an antibacterial, antifungal dimension to this amazing plant.

Aloe Vera and other Ingredients
Because of its gelatinous texture and receptive makeup, aloe vera is an ideal cosmetic and skin care base. Interacting positively with most topical ingredients, aloe gel acts as a conductor, trapping ingredients close to the skin’s surface and creating a moist internal environment conducive to cellular activity.

From the Kitchen to the Beauty Counter

Ingredient Close-Up: Olive Oil

Olive oil—it's not just for cooking anymore. Actually, olive oil has been a staple of skin care since antiquity. Intensely hydrating and rich in polyphenol antioxidants, this natural cosmetic ingredient traces its roots back to the ancient Egyptians where it was used to condition the skin and combat the dry desert heat. Five thousand years later, it remains a popular mainstay in cleansers, cosmetics and preventative skin care for its restorative hydration and free radical-fighting benefits.

As a moisturizer, olive oil helps hydrate the skin by preventing water loss. When used in cleansers and soaps, it helps combat over-drying and oil overproduction. As opposed to petroleum and synthetic oil-based moisturizers, natural olive oil is less likely to clog pores, making it ideal for oily and blemish-prone skin types. And because it absorbs quickly, olive oil-based cleansers and makeup removers, like Mineral Melt, won’t leave an oily film behind.

Strong evidence also suggests that polyphenol-rich olive oil may help reduce the risk of several degenerative diseases—including cardiovascular disease and certain cancers—when taken internally. Applied topically, this antioxidant powerhouse aids in combating free radical-induced premature aging. When added to mineral beauty formula, like Mineral Lip Tint SPF 15, olive oil’s combined hydrating and antioxidant properties help plump away the look of lip lines and protect your pout from further damage.

Beauty in Bloom

Ingredient Close-Up: Lavender

When we think about spring, one of the first things that comes to mind is the luscious bouquet of aromatic herbs and colorful, flowering plants that accompany the season. Generally recognized for its light, fresh aroma and lovely purple color, lavender begins to bloom in early spring and blossoms again in the late summer.

More than just a pretty bud, this fragrant flower has long since been prized for its medicinal benefits, which include reducing inflammation, stimulating cell growth, alleviating pain and promoting healing. Derived from the Latin word lavera, meaning “to wash,” lavender is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-viral and decongestant. It’s said that the Romans used to bathe in tubs of lavender water, and it remains a popular part of modern-day spa treatments designed to soothe the body and mind, reducing tension, irritation and stress.

Because of its healing and rejuvenating properties, lavender is included in many skin care products to treat everything from acne to aging. As an essential oil, it balances the skin, making it ideal for every skin type. At Pür Minerals, we’ve incorporated this wonder-plant into several products in our high-quality skin care line:

• Pür Polish – This face and body exfoliator cleans and polishes skin from head to toe. Along with vitamins and citrus oil, lavender sloughs away dead skin cells to reveal the fresh, new cells beneath.
• Revitalizing Facial Wash – Infused with lavender and aloe, this soufflé cleanser tones and balances skin’s pH level, gently cleansing without stripping skin of its natural oils. 
• Pür Balm – This quick-fix balm is the ultimate solution for dry, cracked or chapped skin. Essential oils, shea butter and lavender come to skin’s rescue to heal dry patches on lips, elbows, hands and feet.

Nature's Perfect Sunscreen

I’m a sucker for lists. Top tens, ratings, reviews—you name it. Textbooks call it glazomania. So, when I came across the Environmental Working Group’s sunscreen review in a random web search, I simply had to read on.

A frilly top ten full of drug store staples? Hardly. This was an exhaustive, in-depth, not-for-the-faint-of-heart investigation of over a thousand name-brand sunscreens and SPF moisturizers, most of which failed the EWG’s rigorous test for providing adequate protection. (Four out of five proved inadequate.) A quick run through my medicine cabinet revealed an army of duds. (And to think, I paid full retail for this stuff…)

So, why did so many name brands bomb so badly? Besides providing subpar UVA protection, most contained chemical ingredients that either broke down too quickly or offered dubious UV protection at best. What made the stand-outs, well…stand out? Almost all contained zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide.

While my wiki-search of these two key ingredients gave me way more info than I needed/wanted, I did learn that these two compounds are nature’s own sunscreens. Because of their superior UVA and UVB absorbability and resistance to breakdown, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide make the ideal broad spectrum barrier. What’s more, because they come from minerals, these natural UV buffers are significantly less irritating to the skin than their chemical cousins.

Here at Pür Minerals, we proudly incorporate these sun shielding minerals into our SPF products. Take our award-winning Day Renewal Complex SPF 20, for instance. As advanced peptides and vitamins A, C and E rejuvenate the skin and minimize signs of aging, zinc oxide helps shield it from UV damage. Another sun-perfect pick is our 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Foundation with SPF 15. This makeup multi-tasker combines a flawless mineral finish with the superior protection of titanium dioxide to keep skin safe and stunning. Don’t forget to complete your look with our luscious Mineral Lip Tint SPF 15. Naturally hydrating with added zinc oxide protection, this mineral lipstick creates the pür-fect, sun-safe pout.

Beauty to a “Tea”

Ingredient Close-Up: Green Tea

Its benefits on the body have been known for millennia; but what makes green tea so special to the skin? With the launch of its Get a Little self-tanning lotion—which features this miracle plant of the East—Pür examines this burning (but never burnt) question in detail.

Antioxidant Protection
While green tea drinkers have long enjoyed the brew’s health-promoting properties from within, growing evidence suggests that its effects are just as dramatic when applied directly to the skin. Functioning as an antioxidant—a free radical-absorbing substance—green tea has been shown to minimize radical-induced damage following UV overexposure.

The secret is a compound called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. An antioxidant some believe to be more powerful than vitamin C, EGCG is found in abundance in green tea leaves (which, coincidently, are also high in vitamin C). Because of its anti-inflammatory nature, the EGCG in green tea helps diminish the look of wrinkles and sagging skin when incorporated in anti-aging moisturizers like Day Renewal Complex SPF 20.  So effective is this compound in neutralizing harmful free radicals that current research is exploring its potential in treating skin cancer.

Targeting Impurities
In addition to minimizing UV-induced free radical damage, EGCG has been shown to target skin impurities and bacteria which can lead to breakouts and irritation. Another green tea component—tannins—has been shown to act as a natural astringent. Together, these detoxifying elements are a boon to those with oily and problematic skin, offering a natural alternative to harsh, synthetic chemicals that can dry out and irritate the skin.

The Earth that Heals

Ingredient Close-Up: Pascalite

Sure, minerals are all the rage in the beauty industry these days. There’s titanium and zinc for sun protection, mica to reflect light and iron oxides which give us those rich, beautiful colors that we love. And then there’s pascalite, the versatile mineral complex that treats blemishes, ulcers, cataracts, insect bites and of course, softens your skin.

This rare form of calcium bentonite clay is hand-mined at the Big Horn Mountain Range in Wyoming, where it was formed 30 million years ago. American Indians utilized the cream-colored, cheese-like substance for medicinal purposes and referred it as “the earth that heals.”  

Pascalite’s healing properties are so strong that it’s purported to be the only known cure of the brown recluse spider. In addition to bug bites and bee stings, pascalite is used to treat burns, sores, rashes, and psoriasis. It’s even used in deodorant and toothpaste. Skin care products containing pascalite can be used to smooth wrinkles, unclog pores and soften skin—an especially important feature during these cool, dry winter months.

When mixed with water, pascalite turns into a potent, mineral-rich paste, or as we in the glamorous beauty business like to call it, a mud. At Pür Minerals, we’ve harnessed the extraordinary benefits of pascalite in our Mineral Mudd Masque, a remarkable, deep-cleaning, detoxifying facial mask that literally draws impurities out of your skin.

Pascalite is surprisingly inexpensive despite its exclusivity. The only existing supply is that found in the mines of the Big Horn Mountains, so when this rare gem of a skin care treatment runs out, the search is on for a new miracle mud.

The Bare Essentials

Ingredient Close-Up: Essential Oils

Much more than just an aromatic enhancement, essential oils play a pivotal role in modern skin care. Used for centuries for their medicinal and therapeutic properties, essential oils today serve a variety of purposes in beauty, from soothing stressed and irritated skin to providing vitamins and antioxidant protection.

Essential oils are derived from the volatile, aromatic oils in plants that give them their distinct scent. Once extracted, these oils are water distilled, isolating the “essence” of each. While there are thousands of essential oils, only a select number provide therapeutic benefits beyond simple sensory indulgence.

Rose hip oil is one example. Rich in vitamins A and C, rose hip’s skin-softening properties help soothe dry skin and reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles while offering antioxidant protection from damaging free radicals. At Pür Minerals, we’ve combined this potent ingredient with several other key hydrators to create Petal Pür-fect, a therapeutic treatment for dry skin.

In addition to rose hip, many citrus essential oils offer superior antioxidant protection. Because they’re derived from sources rich in vitamin C, orange, lemon and tangerine essential oils impart many of their trademark benefits when applied to the skin, hair or nails. The medley of citrus oils in Pür Balm, for instance, helps treat dry skin, split ends and brittle nails, while in Mineral Melt, lemon peel combines with other botanical essential oils to cleanse skin of makeup and nourish eyelashes.

C the Light

Ingredient Close-Up: Vitamin C

While most of us are aware of the internal benefits of vitamin C as an immunity booster and essential nutrient for tissue, bone and eye health, its salutary effects on the skin are just as dramatic and well-documented.

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) plays an important role in the production of collagen—the main protein in the body’s connective tissue and the source of the skin’s firmness and definition. As we age, our natural collagen production rate diminishes, resulting in the lack of definition seen in fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked a higher intake of vitamin C to a generally better skin-aging appearance for women between the ages of 40 and 74, marked by fewer, less pronounced wrinkles and improved hydration. When applied topically, vitamin C helps boost collagen production and supplement the skin’s natural deficit, improving skin texture and composition.

As an antioxidant, vitamin C has been shown to improve the skin’s defense against UV damage. Targeting UV-induced free radicals, vitamin C helps prevent inflammation and protect against DNA damage and the signs of premature aging. When added to other sun protective and anti-aging formulas, vitamin C acts as a performance enhancement, boosting their protective and reparative properties.

At Pür Minerals, we’ve incorporated this essential nutrient into many of our formulas. From Day Renewal Complex’s natural UV protection to Mineral Shea Butter Lipstick’s plumping hydration to anti-aging powerhouse Mineral Moisture Complex’s advanced collagen restoration, our vitamin C beauty products provide powerful tools for positive skin health and radiance.

It's Like Butter

Ingredient Close-Up: Shea Butter

For most people, fall brings to mind the beautiful changing leaves, the crisp night air or the excitement of football season. For me, fall means itchy, cracked skin, chapped lips and dehydration. That’s right—I’m cursed with rough, dry skin. Most moisturizers seem to completely disappear from my skin in just a couple of hours. I’ve been known to lather on nearly half a bottle of body lotion in a single afternoon. As for makeup, formulas containing skin-drying talc and parabens do way more harm than good. I had considered the situation to be utterly hopeless until I discovered my skin’s secret weapon: shea butter.

Shea butter is a natural, fat extract from the seed of the shea or karite tree, indigenous to Africa. It’s used in the food industry as cooking oil and a substitute for cocoa butter, but shea butter is best known for its cosmetic properties. This edible, fatty substance is a natural skin softener and emollient with exceptional antioxidant and healing properties. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and has a natural sun protection factor.

So, who should use shea butter? Everyone. In addition to hydrating dry skin, the unparalleled moisturizer is chock full of vitamins and nutrients to treat conditions such as acne, blemishes, wrinkles, rashes, discolorations, wounds, scarring, insect bites, eczema, dermatitis, sunburns and rosacea. It’s no wonder that the karite tree is known as “the tree of life;” shea butter visibly rejuvenates skin after just a few weeks.

Now, I only use makeup and skin care products that contain shea butter. If I had known that softer skin was just an ingredient away, I could’ve saved myself a lot of frustration—not to mention all the itching and dryness. Finding Pür Minerals was like a breath of fresh air, or a burst of moisture to be more exact. My absolute favorites are Pür Body Butter and the Mineral Shea Butter Lipsticks, but tons of other makeup and skin care products by Pür Minerals are bound with pure, high-quality shea butter to nourish and condition skin.