Q & A with Mukha Cosmetics Founder: Tim Maurer

I’ve known for years that what you put on your skin ends up in your bloodstream within 27 seconds. It’s why I prefer toxin-free products, although – as a beauty blogger – I favor performance the most. It can be challenging to find a line of cosmetics that falls within the “clean beauty” realm that still works well – and that’s where Mukha Cosmetics comes into play.

“Mukha® by Tim Maurer – a revolution in cosmetics and skincare… 

100% mineral-based, Mukha’s products help improve and reduce the signs of aging skin, revealing a more natural and beautiful you.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Mukha Cosmetics founder Tim Maurer when he and his partner, Sanito Mendoza, visited Gyrotonic Satnam Fitness Studio & Boutique in West Palm Beach, Florida. I was excited when I learned that Sanito’s Filipino family helped get their business going off the ground, as my mom is from the Philippines. But what really made me the most excited was interviewing Tim, so I had to share his answers with you.

QUESTION: For someone who is not familiar with Mukha Cosmetics, what would you tell them about the brand?

TIM: The line is so unique because it is free of oil, alcohol, fragrance, parabens, coloring, dye, preservatives, sulfate and even water – the last one being the most important. If water doesn’t exist, neither can bacteria.

Bacteria needs water to thrive and grow, so my product cannot go bad. If you find one of my line’s foundation or lip gloss in your couch 20 years from now along with popcorn and some quarters, you can still use the makeup.

If you have any kind of skin issues like eczema, psoriasis or acne, there’s nothing in the line that can trigger those issues. It actually improves them because there is so much active copper in the product naturally.

It is the only 100% mineral makeup. You only have to be 25% mineral to call yourself mineral makeup. You only have to have less than 5% oil in it to say you’re oil-free. The cosmetic industry has gotten away with a lot of stuff over the years. The FDA is finally putting the wrenches down.

QUESTION: What accolade are you most proud of?

TIM: We have 2 awards from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and we’re the only makeup in the world that can say that.

QUESTION: What do we need to look out for as consumers?

TIM: Think about the ingredients in your products. Our sunscreen (SPF 58) only has 4 ingredients (Vitamin E, titanium, zinc and iron oxide), and not one of them is a chemical. It can’t turn into estrogen in a woman’s body. If there is any history of female cancers in the family, the last thing you want is more estrogen. It’s in your shampoo, your conditioner, your foundation and your body scrub. It’s mostly paraben that causes the problem, it’s a wax that preserves product. We won’t use it because it will kill you.

QUESTION: What made you get into the clean beauty field?

TIM: Both my mother and sister are breast cancer survivors. I literally created this to make them healthy and never intended to sell it to other people except my own salon. Now we’re in 125 locations across the country, and most of them are plastic surgeons and skin cancer doctors because it’s the only makeup that can go on an open suture right after cancer has been removed from your face. You can even put it on the stitches.

There’s a plastic surgeon in Indiana, and after he performs a face lift, he puts it on the sutures before he wakes the person from the surgery. He swears it heals faster. He believes it 100%.

QUESTION: What is your everyday makeup philosophy?

TIM: I don’t think a woman needs to spend more than 5 minutes and 5 products to look fabulous. So everything we make does more than 1 thing – they’re all multi-tasking products.

Our foundation, in our Creme to Powder, is your foundation, your concealer, your eyeshadow primer, your powder and your sunscreen, in one product for only $45.00.

When I first work with someone who is used to wearing a lot of makeup, when you pare it down and show them they can have that same beauty without all the fuss and all the layers and concealer and powder, it’s just too much work and takes too much time.

Every news anchor in Columbus, Ohio, wears this on-air because it’s HD quality and that’s all they have to use. I was lucky to travel with Patti LaBelle on tour for five years, then I worked with Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, Hillary Clinton – and this was all being done while I was doing that. So I was listening to everything that these celebrities wanted, because they didn’t want to spend an hour in the makeup chair.

WHERE TO PURCHASE: You can purchase the products online at https://www.mukhaspa.com or visit Gyrotonic Satnam.