Calcium carbonate, or precipitated chalk, is an excellent addition to mineral make- up products for those of us with really oily skin.

Occurring naturally in rocks as minerals – calcite and aragonite, and in shells of mollusc sea creatures such as snails and pearls, Calcium carbonate is abundantly found in the environment.

This compound has multiple applications, from acting as a Calcium supplement to being used as agricultural lime. Construction also employs this material as building mass, post burning in a kiln. Purification of iron, sealing filter cakes and refining sugar are among other applications of Calcium carbonate. Another interesting use is as blackboard chalk. Swimming pools also use this compound to maintain alkalinity. Matt emulsion paints rely heavily on Calcium carbonate for the final matt effect. Apart from these uses, Calcium Carbonate is also applied in the cosmetic industry.

Kaolin is used in the skincare and beauty industry in a variety of ways. It is most commonly used in facial masks, but also appears in other products. Kaolin is an absorbent substance. The clay texture of kaolin makes it a popular ingredient in masks as it provides skincare benefits and also acts as an excellent base. The thickness of kaolin is ideal for holding other ingredients in the mixture and its ability to penetrate the pores makes it a good delivery mechanism for other treatments.

A layered silicate mineral in conjunction with one octahedral sheet of alumina and one tetrahedral sheet of silica bridged together by oxygen atoms completely form the mineral Kaolinite. Any rock with abundance of Kaolinite is referred to as Kaoline or China clay. The most valuable properties of this rock are its low shrink-swell capacity and low cation-exchange capacity, making it highly stable and constant under most conditions. By appearance it is soft, earthy, typically off white.

The reason for its application is cosmetics and paper making is because of the glossy effect that this product produces.

Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sesquicarbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate are used to control the acid-base balance of cosmetic products. In cosmetics and personal care products, Sodium Bicarbonate may also be used as an abrasive, a deodorant agent, and an oral care agent.

Washing soda, soda ash, soda crystals are other names for Sodium Carbonate. Typically, this compound occurs as crystalline heptahydrate, a form that spontaneously effloresces to form white, odourless, hygroscopic powder.

Domestically, Sodium carbonate is popular as a water softener, as it can form a moderately basic solution in water. Additionally, Sodium Carbonate is also used to manufacture glass. This salt acts as a flux or silica and effectively lowers the melting point of the slurry making the process easier to curate.

Sodium carbonate can be extracted from ashes of plants cultivated in Sodium-laden soil. Hence the name soda ash, for sodium carbonate. Apart from these, Sodium carbonate also has important uses in the food, chemical and cosmetic industries.

STalc has many uses in cosmetics and personal care products including as an absorbent, anti-caking agent and to improve the feel of the product.

Classified as a mineral, Talc consists of hydrated magnesium silicate. Naturally, it is found as fibrous masses, foliated masses and on rare occasions, in its purest crystalline form. The structure of talc crystals has a well-cut basal cleavage. Talc is one of the softest, smoothest minerals known. Although it is not soluble in water, it can be dissolved in dilute mineral acids. Talc has applications across multiple industries. From paper making to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and ceramics, talc serves as a structural and finishing element in various capacities. Also acting as a food additive, glidant in pharmaceuticals and as an astringent for baby diapers, talc has endless functional applications.