I am a Benetint-a-holic. For those of you who are unaware of Benetint’s magic powers, it’s a cheek stain from Benefit Cosmetics. This company makes more “traditional” cosmetics than the ones I normally review here, by which I mean that they’re choc full of nasty chemicals. Normally I would have tossed a product like Benetint out of my regimen years ago, but… Benetint? It’s AWESOME.

Ah, Benetint, such a guilty little pleasure

This lovely little cheek stain has been my secret weapon for many years. I can leave the house wearing not a stitch of makeup except for Benetint and face powder, and I look polished enough for most days. The tint gives me a glow, like I’ve been sitting in the sun enjoying margaritas, or like I’ve been busy doing other, naughtier, things. Benetint makes me look fresh during the winter and sunkissed during the summer; it’s a year-round makeup bag companion.

Now, if only Benetint were as clean as it is effective. Alas, the tint has a list of ingredients that, while short, may be potent: Water, Rose Water, Glycerin, Quaternium-15, and Carmine. I’ve broken this list down into its individual ingredients so you’ll see why you SHOULD NOT buy this gem of a product.

Water: Not bad in and of itself, though who knows where they get it from?

Rose Water: Same as above.

Glycerin: With a 0.1 rating on Skin Deep, this moisturizing ingredient seems fairly harmless. One thing that gives me pause are the recent warnings about glycerin imported from China being mixed up in a scandal where a cheaper, more toxic chemical was sold as if it were the real deal; maybe I should find out where the company sources their glycerin from. Think they’ll tell me?

Quaternium-15: With a Skin Deep rating of 1.2, this ingredient concerns me the most. This preservative is known for its annoying tendency to release formaldehyde, and it is a known allergen. I haven’t personally had a reaction to this product, but that’s not especially comforting at the moment.

Carmine: This is another ingredient with a Skin Deep rating of 0.1. The only concern raised by the site is that carmine, a synthetic red dye, hasn’t been assessed for safety in the US, so I’ll have to look into what the EU standards have to say about the ingredient.

And there you have it. Benetint may smell like a rose, but its ingredient list stinks. If the above breakdown hasn’t turned you off of your own Benetint habit, you can always get your fix at Sephora or department stores. My hope, though, is that most of you will be grossed out by what I’ve written about my favorite conventional indulgence. Below is a list of cleaner blush products, and while some of them may not be perfect, you can bet they’re better than rubbing several dots of future formaldehyde into your sweet cheeks. Here’s the list, and if you find that one of them is as good or better than Benetint, for sweet crap’s sake, let me know.


Bare Escentuals: loose blush powder
Burt’s Bees: blushing creme
Dr. Hauschka: pressed rouge powder
Jane Iredale: PurePressed blush (I use this company’s face powder)