Lips Get Elemental with Kevyn Aucoin

Adding titanium dioxide to their on-point formula protects your precious pucker from UVA and UVB rays. Kevyn Aucoin Beauty Molten Metal Lips in Bronze (left) and Titanium (right). (Image: Dr. K)

Elemental Lips: Kevyn Aucoin Beauty gets $cientific with their Molten Metal collection. Titanium and Bronze (copper + tin) are shown here. (Image: Dr. K)

Beauty and science have been amalgamating in recent years and few products highlight it more than a flashy pout. Kevyn Aucoin Beauty’s newly released collection of Molten Metals lip glosses aesthetically and chemically meet the requirements. We’re focusing our beauty microscopes on their Bronze and Titanium hues.

Thinking of bronze, a mix of copper and tin, gets us picturing Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker statue. The dynamic Bronze Age (3000–1000 BC) casted a shadow over the Stone Ages because it was the first time metals were used in works of art, among other applications. Titanium, discovered in 1791 and named after the Greek Titans, produces excellent missiles because it’s not as dense as steel. These statue- and missile-makers make the most stunning impact when glossed over our lips.

The Thinker (1880-1901), Bronze, Auguste Rodin (nga.gov) — *The Thinker* (1880-1901), Bronze, Auguste Rodin (nga.gov)

Large Three-Piece Bronze Crocodile Sculpture, Linda Horne, $895 (Bergdorf Goodman Linda Fargo's Shop )

Ingredients

The powdered bronze, copper, and aluminum are not just cosmetic colorants, but the namesake of this collection and adds the perfect elemental factor. To boot, titanium dioxide also provides sunscreen because it absorbs UV rays.

Kevyn Aucoin Beauty chose standard cosmetic emollients and thickening agents, like glyceryl behenate and disteardimonium hectorite, respectively, without overwhelming the ingredients list. Their formula creates an ideal blend for hydration, shine, and smooth long-lasting wear without smear. What I like best is the ethereal glow it leaves behind when it finally wears off.

$cience

Cheers to John Dalton for the atomic theory! Each element is made of identical atoms, which consists of nuclear protons and neutrons, and orbiting electrons. We identify them on that cute little Periodic Table of Elements according to their atomic number (# of protons) and atomic mass (# of protons + neutrons).

Titanium is a transition metal. Bronze is an alloy of the elements copper and tin. Kevyn Aucoin Beauty Molten Metal Lip glosses shown here in Titanium (bottom) and bronze (top). (Image: Dr. K)

The Molten Metals lip collection stays true to their namesake elements, illuminates, and lasts. Top: Titanium, Bottom: Bronze (Image: Dr. K)

Uniting reddish-orange copper (Cu), atomic number 29, with silvery tin (Sn), yields bronze, a metallic compound. Tin’s, atomic number 50, mass of 118.710 AMU adds a bit more weight when alloyed with copper’s molecular mass of 63.546 AMU. Nerd note: It is possible for approximately 73 million copper atoms to sit in a straight line across a penny.

Titanium (Ti), atomic number 22 with a mass of 47.867, is a transition metal like copper. This means that it’s electron d subshell is not completely full. Oooh, fancy.