Mineral makeup did not just appear out of nowhere — nor is it a recent discovery.

As beauty legend has it, mineral makeup has been around since the 1970s. It was Diane Ranger, a specialist in cosmetic chemistry research and development, who coined the term “mineral makeup” in 1977 when inventing the Bare Escentuals products.

Fast-forward some 30 years: Mineral makeup is exploding in the beauty market, thanks to celebrity use and the growing demand for all things natural and eco-friendly.

A plethora of companies have come out with their mineral makeup product lines, namely Everyday Minerals, BareMinerals, SheerCover, Meow, PurMinerals, Jane Iredale and so on. Big names like Madonna, Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Sandra Bullock, former US first lady Laura Bush and former US state secretary Condoleezza Rice are on record as the clients of Jane Iredale, founder of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. Iredale herself worked with dermatologists to develop mineral cosmetics after seeing the problems conventional makeup products were causing.

Another devotee of mineral makeup is Susan Posnick who found The ColourFlo. Posnick, whose clients include actress Sienna Miller, created a mineral line on her own after she was diagnosed with skin cancer, which forced her to look for cosmetics that really helped to protect her skin.

Thanks to its lack of irritants, mineral makeup is a dream come true for many women of all ages and skin types, especially those struggling with sensitive skin, acne and rosacea. Word soon spreads if a product actually works, and many of the mineral products on the market are garnering positive reviews. Many dermatologists report that because mineral makeup often omits classic irritating agents such as fragrances, binders, synthetic dyes and preservatives, it is considered “purer” and “kinder” on the skin.

In Asia, the mineral makeup trend is also starting to get going. Women in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia are among those starting to consider using mineral makeup. Because most mineral makeup brands are available only in the US and Australia, Indonesian beauty enthusiasts often order the products online.

In late 2007, the first cosmetic brand offering exclusively mineral makeup, CieL Minerals, entered Indonesia. Although it only promotes its products through its website www.cielminerals.com, CieL Minerals has been the subject of discussions in many local beauty forums and has received many rave reviews from users.

Perhaps its affordable prices and the fact that it was founded by an Indonesian woman named Cris Latief helped shoot this brand to local fame.

— JP/Dian Kuswandini

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