Short answer: hematite is the mineral form of iron(III) oxide (α-Fe₂O₃). On a cosmetic ingredient list, red iron oxide appears as CI 77491. Iron oxides are some of the most widely used minerals in personal care, and in the United States they are approved color additives for cosmetics, including products worn around the eyes.
What is hematite?
Hematite is an iron oxide that occurs in nature as a dense, steel-grey to red-brown mineral. Every iron atom in it carries a +3 charge, locked into a very stable crystal lattice (the same corundum structure as sapphire). Grind it, and the powder turns blood red. That is where the name comes from: haima is Greek for blood. People have painted with this pigment for tens of thousands of years, from cave walls to modern foundation.
Which iron oxides are used in cosmetics?
Formulators work with three, each with its own Colour Index (CI) number. Red iron oxide, CI 77491, is Fe₂O₃, the hematite composition. Yellow iron oxide, CI 77492, is the hydrated form, FeO(OH). Black iron oxide, CI 77499, is Fe₃O₄, the composition of magnetite.
Blend the three and you get almost every foundation and concealer shade on the market. Outside makeup, chemists like iron oxides because they are stable, they don't dissolve in water or oil, and they don't react with the rest of a formula.
Is iron oxide safe to put on skin?
In the U.S., the FDA regulates cosmetic iron oxides under 21 CFR 73.2250. The rule calls them "safe for use in coloring cosmetics generally, including cosmetics applied to the area of the eye." It also caps impurities at 3 ppm arsenic, 10 ppm lead and 3 ppm mercury. As with any leave-on product, patch test first if your skin is sensitive.
Why does SYLEKSA use a hematite-derived mineral?
In SYLEKSA Nano Herbal Cream, a hematite-derived iron oxide, refined to the nano scale, acts as the formula's sensorial carrier. It shapes how the cream spreads and how it settles on skin, which is where the light, velvet finish comes from. It works alongside three pressed botanical oils: clove, rosemary and lavender. The full composition is on our Science page.
We don't call hematite a "healing" mineral, and we won't. SYLEKSA is a cosmetic. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and U.S. law only lets cosmetics claim to cleanse, beautify or change appearance. The FDA explains the line in "Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both?"
Hematite vs. iron oxide: is there a difference?
Chemically, no. Hematite is iron(III) oxide. "Hematite" names the mineral and its crystal form; "iron oxides" or "CI 77491" is how the same composition reads on a label. The FDA rule covers iron oxide color additives that are synthetically prepared and meet its purity limits.
Quick facts
- Formula: α-Fe₂O₃, iron(III) oxide
- Label name: Iron Oxides (CI 77491)
- U.S. rule: 21 CFR 73.2250, permitted in cosmetics including the eye area
- Properties: insoluble, chemically stable, naturally red-brown
- Role in SYLEKSA: a nano-refined sensorial carrier for clove, rosemary and lavender oils
Frequently asked questions
Does hematite make the cream red?
Iron oxide is a strong pigment, so color depends on how much is used and how fine it is. In SYLEKSA it is there for texture and feel, not color.
Is iron oxide the same as rust?
No. Rust is a loose mix of hydrated iron oxides that forms when iron corrodes. Cosmetic iron oxides are purified pigments that have to meet the FDA's heavy-metal limits.
Can I use a hematite cream on my face?
Iron oxides are permitted even in eye-area cosmetics. SYLEKSA works on face and body, but keep it out of the eye area itself, and patch test first if your skin is sensitive.
Sources: U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 73.2250 (Iron oxides); U.S. FDA, "Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?)".