Teach Soap

Just wondering if mica colors are considered "natural" colorants for soap since they are mineral based? I had someone ask me, and I don't want to give the impression something is natural if it isn't, so I told her I'd research it. I've found mixed thoughts when reading about it. How do you know if the micas are mixed with dyes? I have some that I've had for a while, so I don't always remember where I got them, and they are only labeled with the name "Merlot Mica" or something similar, no ingredient label.

Cosmetic grade micas are made in a lab. Micas straight from the earth have too many impurities and would not be safe on the skin. IMO, no, they are not natural.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I agree with soapbuddy. If I remember correctly from researching them, mica in it's most basic form (from the lab) is clear/whitish. It is then coated with different colorants, FD&C and such, to give it color. So the micas coated with synthetic colorants are definitely not natural, and even if they're coated with a natural colorant, they are still manufactured (versus being mined from the earth), which to me means not natural.

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Olivia :)

There is some good info here too as well. There is natural and then there is nature identical. =)

http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body- ... colorants/

Thanks everyone!