Founded by two Danish makeup artists who suffer with contact dermatitis and allergies, this range has problem skin covered
When I first read about Tine Emilie Svendsen and Tanja Gregersen - the Danish founders behind Miild Makeup - and their story as to why they created it, I could relate. Both professional makeup artists, they each suffer with severe skin allergies and sensitivity, making their day jobs fairly difficult to say the least. Sounds familiar…
“My allergic reactions got worse as I got older,” Tanya explains on their website. "At the same time, my interest for style and beauty grew and this inspired me to become a makeup artist. My family, friends and doctor were sceptical: “Are you sure this is a good idea with your allergy?”” Once Tanya started training, she developed severe eczema on her hands, and had so many reactions she had to take daily allergy medication just to do her work. Tine, meanwhile, developed an allergy much later in life, experiencing hives and rashes on her face as well as 'watery eyes, a blocked throat and constant sneezing’. She was advised to stick to organic makeup, but found navigating the mineral makeup arena difficult thanks to complicated ingredients lists. And so, Miild Makeup was born: a certified organic mineral makeup range with real transparency when it comes to what it’s made of.
My oversensitive skin has meant that I too have had it regularly suggested to me that I’m in the wrong job; but though the concerned commenters may well be right, my troublesome skin only makes me more determined to stick with it so I can find some answers. Yet one of the biggest frustrations as a sensitive skin sufferer is being told by brands that they get it, and know exactly what you need to use - when actually they don’t; they don’t know what it’s like to feel as though your skin is crawling, what it’s like to hide your hands or face away because you have an angry rash which people stare at, or what it’s like to have it affect the very job you love. These two do - and that’s what could make this high tolerance makeup line different. In fact, the majority of my favourite skincare brands come from founders with similar stories, or have been recommended by those who solved their own skin issues by working in the industry to decipher between those who claim to be sensitive-friendly from those who really do get it.
The collection is by no means perfect; the shade range leaves much to be desired and the base products are definitely better catered for the paler, Caucasian skin you’d find in its Danish roots. That said, despite their limited use of dyes and pigments, the colour cosmetics worked on the lightest and darkest of skin types in the GTG office alike, and here’s hoping more shades become available as they expand the range - I’m told foundation, eyeliner and lip gloss are in the works as we speak. Price wise, it’s also pretty high, but so is the quality; and if you’re struggling to wear makeup day to day because of allergies, chances are you’ll find it’s worth the extra cost.
What’s not in Miild?
The all-important question for anyone with sensitivity. Miild is formulated without any fragrance (neither synthetic nor natural), parabens, bismuth oxychloride (often found in mineral makeup, Imelda Burke of Content Beauty & Wellbeing says it’s a common irritant ), petrochemicals, mineral oils, silicones and even certain dyes and pigments (they use ones which don’t stain).
Parabens are still a much debated topic in the beauty world but they play an important part in safely preserving products; brands that go paraben-free need some strong alternatives. "With the three certifications there are a lot of demands to which preservatives we can use," the founders tell me. "For example parabens are not allowed with the Nordic Ecolabel and Ecocert. The products we have on the market at the moment do not contain a lot of water and therefore they need [fewer] preservatives. In the mascara we use sodium dehydroxyacetate, which is a very low risk preservative. We also use potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate in our products, as these are also low risk."
The range is cruelty-free, though due to the use of organic beeswax in the rest of the range, only the eyeshadow and eyebrow kit and the mineral blush are vegan. They’re eco-friendly, too; the packaging, which is very Scandi-chic, is fully recyclable and made from 70% recycled paper. They’re also certified by Ecocert COSMOS to give you reassurance over the ingredients used, plus have the very elegant-sounding Nordic Swan Ecolabel which applies to its eco qualities, as well as being AllergyCertified, a Danish organisation which assesses the risk of allergies from a product. The upshot? You’re in safe hands.
Shop the range
Are they any good though, you ask? For the most part: yes. Here’s the lowdown on the range…
Miild Baked Mineral Powder, £42
Available in six shades (all erring on the pale side), this has a semi-matte finish and sweeps on without feeling too drying, though I did find there was a fair bit of fallout as I swirled in my Kabuki brush . Personally, I’d use it more as a setting powder as I think you’d have to work at it to get a fuller coverage (which could get expensive), but for lightly evening out the skin tone it works well.
Miild Mineral Blush, £30
The vegan blush was my favourite of the products; it dusts on with a silky smooth texture and lasts well on the skin. The Cherise Splendid shade worked on both my super pale complexion and my colleague Ayesha’s darker skin tone, showing up on both as a ‘gentle rosy flush’ as Ayesha so perfectly put it. Four shades are available, ranging from peach and beige tones to deeper pinks.
Miild Organic Mineral Bronzing Powder, £43
The bronzer looks beautiful in the pan, but I’d save this one for the summer months; available in just one shade, it contains glimmering gold pigments which once on the skin leave it more glitzy than sunkissed. A matte version would be ideal, but until then, use this as more of a sunny highlighter.
Miild Mineral Mascara - Length Inordinate, £22
Mineral mascara is notoriously hard to pull off; founders Tine and Tanja confirmed this when I asked what was hardest in the range to create. "The certifications limit the use of ingredients and we are often forced to look at other solutions than the conventional ones. For example AllergyCertified sets a very high demand to the content of nickel impurities, where there must be no more than 1ppm nickel impurity in the product. This ensures that people with contact allergy to Nickel will not react to the product. It can be very difficult, however, to get this with iron oxide colours. We tried to go in a totally different direction and the black colour in Miild Mascara is now charcoal powder from a Japanese tree. This change in colour has meant that we have not been able to detect any residues of nickel, which we are very proud of.” If you have sensitive eyes and struggle with most mascaras , this is one to beat in terms of a clean formula.
Shop the range on UK stockist Klarify.Me (an allergy specialist, so while you’re there you can browse other brands which cater to your allergy-prone needs).