Natural Colorants vs Mica: What You Need to Know

If you’re reading this, odds are you have started to question many of the products you have been buying at the store. Or at a minimum wondering if what you’ve been buying as “natural” is in fact anything but that.

We started this journey as a we had noticed adverse reactions to the commercially produced personal care products from the big box stores. It is from there we started diving into the ingredients list of everything we had bought thinking it was “natural. It only furthered our search once we began creating our own personal care products. It was at this point we realized there is alot of debate regarding mica colorants and how they compare to the traditional natural colorants.

What we quickly realized is that all of the bright colored powders might be the most eye catching, but they in no way compare to simple ingredients such as dried calendula or kelp powder.

What is Mica?

Mica is naturally occurring mineral found in various rocks and crystals. The structure of Mica is what allows for its typical dull color to be easily brightened with an array of colorants. Mica has many uses including brightening the pigmentation of car paint, thermal insulation in the electrical industry, filler in plastics, rubber and cement, and adds shimmery effect to beauty products.

How problematic is Mica?

As with any other naturally occurring mineral, we have to take into consideration the amount of other minerals that it might come into contact with. Traces of harsh minerals such as lead, mercury and arsenic are the reason why many companies now opt in to synthetic versions of mica powder.

If that isn’t enough, the humanitarian in me could not support a cause that preys on the impoverished mining communities in India. Many of these communities utilize child labor and extremely harmful working conditions. The area has been under some investigations as multiple children over the last decade have been severely injured or killed while mining. While in recent years they have been trying to help the workers in the area, it has been a very slow process to improve the mica mining conditions. I don’t know about you, but after hearing that I believe we will stick to using our carefully crafted plant based colorants.

How to color Safely.

In all of our products you will find that we only use the best naturally occurring plant based ingredients to give our soaps a splash of color. It is our belief that we have been given everything we need here on earth, and it is our job to utilize the resources that have been graciously bestowed upon us.

Some of our favorites are our Cigar Bar and Georgia Pine Bar which both display a dark hue from the coconut charcoal we use. Charcoal acts as a deep cleansing agent as it removes dirt, bacteria, and chemicals that get accumulated on the skin over time.

We also utilize the powerful benefits of dried elderberries, steeped coffees and so much more!

While the colors might not be as vibrant the overall health benefits far exceed the expectations of a more natural approach to soaps, bath bombs and skin products. Now is as good as time as any to start to make small manageable steps towards taking control over the things you bring into your home (or put on your body). We hope this was able to help you better understand what to look out for and what to steer clear of regarding personal care products. Happy Shopping!