Mineral makeup is the rage for two reasons: one, it´s very light and natural-looking. Two, it contains no chemicals, and it´s ingredients actually help to heal the skin and keep it healthy. (Oh and three: the choice of colours is huuuge, and they can be mixed with each other !)
The cavein is that not all "mineral Makeup" is actually 100% mineral. Actually most of the mineral makeup in stores from brands like L´Oreal, Art Deco etc is not pure mineral; it is only based on mineral ingredients (with many other ingredients thrown in). These "impure" minerals may be better than many of the standard chemical cosmetics, but don´t expect from them the mineral miracles that you hear everyone talking about.
The big store makeups is very often labeled as "pure", but don´t be taken in. It´s not that hard to tell the difference !
Pure mineral makeup
Contains: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, silica and many pigments (like iron oxides, ultramarines).
Can also contain: magnesium stearate, calcium carbonate, rice powder (or another strach), silk powder, kaolin clay, serecite, boron nitride and silica.
What it should not contain: Talc (tends to block pores), synthetic fragrances, oils (exceptplant oils used in pressed powders), colorants (dyes or lakes), fillers, silicones, (silicones are not all bad, they can make certain ingredients more suitable for very dry / very sensitive skin, but they may clog the skin, and makeup containing them does not classify as true mineral), bismuth oxychloride (this ingredients can cause allergies or block pores, so most producers avoid it),preservatives.
Here is a list of ingredients of many mineral makeup brands, and here is an ingredient dictionary, along with rating !
100% pure mineral makeup is almost exclusively sold online !