Another Quick comment on Bismuth Oxychloride

I came across a website called hairnailskincare.com just after my last post, and they were suggesting that users were experiencing reactions to bismuth oxychloride.  They thought that this was due to chemical sensitivity – but  I think this is unlikely.

I tried to post this reply but their comments feature wasn’t working correctly.  I will leave it up here until I hear back from them.

I don’t think it is at all likely that bismuth oxychloride would react chemically with the skin. It is much more likely that any reactions are simply down to the particle size and shape. It probably isn’t going to help very much looking at the chemical names on the pack because different grades of the same material might well be very different. Look at the difference between icing sugar and granulated sugar. Both are exactly the same chemical but they behave very differently. Its unfortunate, but there isn’t really any substitute for trying things out and seeing if they work for you or not.

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2 thoughts on “Another Quick comment on Bismuth Oxychloride”

  1. Colin, Caroline Hirons (Carolinehirons.com / Beauty Mouth) has this to say, “bismuth oxychloride – the ingredient most commonly used to give ‘radiance’ in eyeshadows/eye creams – also one of the most common allergens and the reason I can’t use Bare Minerals.” Have you heard it’s an allergen?

    1. Anyone can develop an allergy to anything at any time. Caroline and I talk quite a bit and I have always found her stuff to be totally reliable, so if she says allergic reactions are common to this material I am sure she has good grounds for it. I haven’t heard that myself, but I have never worked anywhere that sold a lot of products that contain it. Someone closer to the action may know better.

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