Musq's Superior Ingredients

Skin absorbs about 60% of what is applied directly into the bloodstream. Setting the benchmark for purity, it's what's we use and also omit that raised the bar! No fillers, synthetics or irritants used in other mineral or organic brands that claim to be natural while slipping a waterproof mascara or SLS based cleanser into their range. No hidden plastics means no time consuming buffing is needed!  Read more about some of the organic ingredients we use in our mineral makeup and skincare

Uncompromised Quality and Purity!

Musq is recognised as Australia's 1st and largest professional 100% natural fashion range, at the forefront with its education and articles championing for safer cosmetics. All products are undiluted professional quality, so less is needed on your skin and it stays put - no more 'makeup slide'. Many also contain certified organic ingredients to promote optimum skin condition, minimising your skin care needs. Our organic skincare is also made from concentrated and active ingredients so you need less and achieve a better result. If you've wondered why some mineral and natural brands seem cheap or don't last very long, check their ingredients and you'll see talc and bismuth; cheap and irritating fillers!* No wonder their foundation needs primers, concealers and veils. All Musq products are vegan, gluten free, suitable for Halal makeup wearers and comply with the most stringest requirements of the TGA, EU and Japanese cosmetic regulating bodies. Musq is both listed AND compliant with the "Truth In Labelling Pledge" - our claims match our ingredients!

No secret ingredients

We don't claim to be 'mineral', 'natural' or organic', while hiding synthetics in a few products. Nor do we give a partial ingredient list of just "key" ingredients. ALL of our 100% safe natural ingredients are displayed in large font at each stockist and on the products' specific page. Minerals are the most beautiful colourants for the cosmetic industry, and why many Musq makeup products are named after precious stones and metals. We're proud to state each product's entire composition!

A passion for makeup. A commitment to good health.

Unlike other brands we haven't had to drop products or change formulations to be all natural or non toxic! We've never used bismuth oxychloride. Found in most mineral brands, this cheap filler results in a greasy, big pored look and rashes. Classed as a heavy metal, it is a byproduct of lead! Being heavy it must be "buffed" or "polished" well into pores for adhesion. Bismuth oxychloride should never be applied to rosacea, acne or after salon treatments when skin is at its most vulnerable. It is usually the first listed ingredient found in foundation brands frequently seen in chemists, salons or t.v. info-commercials, and the larger Australian brands now offering a 'version' of mineral make up. 

We don't use carmine, a natural intense colourant made from killing crushed carmine beetles! Many brands claim "cruelty free" but use carmine. Highly irritating, carmine causes skin itching, burning, lip cracking and in extreme cases can result in anaphylactic shock.

Musq mineral cosmetics and skincare use no nanoparticles, carmine, talc, petrochemicals, paraffin, lanolin, mineral oil, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, hormone disrupting parabens, aluminium, sodium laureth and lauryl sulphate, genetically modified ingredients, or any synthetic colourings, perfumes and preservatives. Found in other mineral makeup and natural skin care brands' ingredients,  they may leave out one or two problem ingredients but leave in others or substitute one nasty for another. Gluten free, our products are safe for celiacs.

Our crushed and purified Australian minerals are triple milled to cosmetic grade but not nano sized. They reflect light giving skin incredible radiance and provide anti-aging benefits with antioxidants and maintain skin hydration. Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are also non-chemical sun blocks providing natural broadspectrum sunscreen*! Musq foundations offer the maximum zinc oxide sun protection available, blocking rays on the skin's surface rather than under it as with nano or synthetic sunscreens, which still allow a degree of UV penetration. Soothing Zinc is known to calm irritation and as a vitamin is needed for healthy skin. Mica is a translucent mineral, which when coated with other minerals in varying thicknesses, gives off different colours and a luminescence. Our mica is not coated in artificial FD&C colours. Iron Oxides are natural salts oxidized in water that provide beautiful colours.

Ethical makeup that cares for the environment

Using only safe natural non toxic ingredients has environmental benefits. Producing synthetic ingredients releases hazardous bi-products into the environment and when washed off your skin they damage our waterways - hurting the environment, wildlife and food chain. The Stearic Acid in a few of our mascara is derived from renewable Australian plantations, and thus does not impact on orangutans. Musq uses recyclable materials and does not use additional outer packaging such as boxes. In July 2007 Musq received accreditation with Choose Cruelty Free Ltd as a Cruelty Free Company. Musq is also accredited with P.E.T.A.,  the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and Truth In Labelling. We never inflate prices to cover supposedly 'free' gifts with purchase.  Australian owned and made, Musq is luxurious and ethical, not just 'waking the walk' but leading the way.

When Ingredients Matter Most...

If you are suffering an autoimmune disease, celiac disease, chronic fatigue or have a serious illness such as cancer, you will be far more conscious of what you apply to your skin, and thus absorb through the dermis. The last thing you want is continued exposure to the toxic petrochemicals and other synthetics used in regular skincare and makeup. These compromise your health, not just your skin. It is easy to significantly reduce this exposure, and in the process you'll find more effective products that will ultimately save you money.

Products that stay on the skin such as creams and makeup have more impact than those that stay on briefly, like shampoo and cleanser. Products used in contact with the mucas membranes such as toothpaste are more quickly absorbed. Packaging showing a picture of natural ingredients does not mean the product is organic; it may signify little more than its perfume. And don't assume that just because someone's selling it, they know or care what's in it!

Please read ingredient lists before use.

This is on each product's own page. Some people experience skin irritation from even the safest natural ingredients, in which case stop use immediately. We use no nut oils in any of our makeup, but a few skincare products do use nut oils so please check ingredient list pre-purchase. If you are pregnant or lactating, always consult a physician before use. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What makes Musq unique, and called the best mineral makeup?

A. Musq is totally natural AND safe AND high fashion!

Honest and innovative, copied but still unrivalled! Musq is not simply a makeup with scant minerals added, but hidden synthetics and irritants cloaked in ambiguous descriptions to increase profits. We're very specific and open about all our ingredients, going beyond revealing just the "key" ingredients, and are shown to be accredited by Choose Cruelty Free on their website. With ties to the fashion industry for trends and listening closely to customer preferences, our colours, products and packaging are as fashionable and high performance as they are healthy. We don't push unnecessary products like primers or finishing powders to maximise sales when we instead formulate superior products that do no require such extras.

Using minerals for makeup is not new. Used since ancient times, and fashionable again in the last decade, Musq has drawn together all the elements necessary to make perfect, safe eco-glam makeup that is an extension of skincare.

Q. How can you properly compare various brands' value by cost and weight?

A. It's very hard! Another jar may seem to give you more as it looks bigger, but have much thicker base and walls so hold no more actual product. Or it may be packed less densely. If the product is diluted you get a lower mineral ratio, and the minerals used may be passive rather than active ones - hardly good value! Musq displays the weights of the contents, and does not include the weight of the container as with some brands.

Q. Why does Musq give so much information about ingredients on its website and instore?

A. Musq is passionate about promoting good health, for people and our planet, not just looking glamourous! We educate, and are aligned with like-minded companies who are focused on health and sustainability. Even if you decide not to use Musq, you can make a more informed choice. Our store staff are not pushy and sales orientated, but are beauty therapists focused on results. Unlike nurses or sales staff, they have been trained in skincare, makeup application and ingredients' implications on the skin, and undergo regular advanced professional development with Australian and international trainers.

Q. How long will my products last?

A. It's a bit like how long is a piece of string? Frequency of use and amount used per application varies enormously between users, so a product that lasts one person 3 months may last someone else twice as long. Being undiluted, Musq powdered products may last approximately twice as long as regular products. Regarding shelf life, our regular production runs are small to keep products as fresh as possible. Moist products (eg: lipstick, mascara, creme foundation) have a shelf life of approx one year so with typical use they will be all used up well prior to expiry. Powder-only products (eg: powder foundations, eyeshadow, bronzer) are made exclusively of minerals which are inert and do not harbour bacteria or go off. They have a shelf life of approx 4 years post opening. They are therefore far more hygenic and long lasting that comparable products, but a high level of hygene still needs to be maintained as any organic matter such as dust or dead skin if introduced into the jar will itself decompose.

Q. What products are safe after salon treatments?

A. Peels and dermabrasion can be great to improve skin problems. They also leave the skin more vulnerable, especially to sun damage, and more readily able to absorb what is applied to it.

Regular cosmetics contain toxic and irritating synthetics, which will be more readily absorbed by the treated skin. Nasty! The skin is also then more likely to react to the ingredients, such as getting a rash or even blistering. Ouch!

Only totally natural products that are also safe, soothing, healing and protective should be applied. Although minerals are soothing, when mineral makeup has bismuth oxychloride, carmine, talc, parabens or other problem ingredients it is counter-productive! Musq is ideal after salon treatments, having the properties needed by vulnerable skin but without any of the nasties.

Q. It's Summer and I love the beach; is Musq foundation water resistant if I swim? Will it go orange?

A. Musq's foundations are highly water resistant and give full natural UVA / UVB sun protection! When drying off don't rub face but gently pat dry to keep the mineral foundation on. The colour will stay true. Remember to use natural sunscreen elsewhere as it is safer and works on the top of the skin blocking UV penetration. Synthetic sunscreen works by absorbing rays under the skin's surface, and contain toxic and irritating ingredients.

Q. What about other chemicals? You can't escape them all!

A. Correct, and which is exactly why we should make the tiny and easy changes to minimise our exposure. Lots of small changes add up to a big result. You can buy all Australian totally safe and natural dish washing liquid to hair conditioner, at comparable or better prices than mainstream products. Shop around and you'll discover some great healthy choices that perform better! You can't eliminate all exposure, but you can reduce it considerably. Why buy an almost healthy makeup when you can buy Musq mineral makeup here?

Think of it like junk food. A diet top heavy in junk food causes weight gain and health issues. If we eat healthily most of the time, a junk meal has little impact.

* Current Australian legal requirements of the T.G.A. for Australian products that are only a secondary sunscreen, such as cosmetics like  Foundation rather than a product that is sold as a sunscreen, is that it must not be labelled with a SPF rating any higher than SPF15.  If it is a cosmetic product of overseas origin then this does not apply, and this creates an ‘un-level playing field’ when customers are trying to compare Australian with overseas products!

Although our foundations are Certified broad-spectrum and our Powder Foundations have a Certification that is higher than 15+ by the Australian Standards we are we are only allowed to say SPF15. The degree of protection will vary though, because people will apply very different amounts of the product to their skin, from very sheer to much heavier. The skin obviously needs to have more than a scant amount on only a small area of the face to be afforded sun protection. That said, provided the foundation is not being shifted and lifted off the skin by touching, the natural sunscreen ingredients will continue providing their SPF properties until they are removed from the skin as they do not have a time limit of effectiveness as do their synthetic counterparts.
 

Copyright 2005 Musq Pty Ltd.