Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder vs MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation: which is safer?
Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
Laura Mercier Translucent Pressed Setting Powder
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleTalc and asbestos contamination
PossibleInhalation hazard from fine particulates
MAC Fix+
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleTalc contamination (asbestos risk)
PossibleMica and silica inhalation during application
PossibleBacterial or mold growth in compact
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Talc and asbestos contamination and Inhalation hazard from fine particulates on the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder and not on the MAC Fix+.
- We flag Talc contamination (asbestos risk), Mica and silica inhalation during application and Bacterial or mold growth in compact on the MAC Fix+ and not on the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder.
- The Laura Mercier Translucent Powder is Talc, mica, silica powder base where the MAC Fix+ is talc, mica, iron oxides, silica (mineral pigments), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More pressed powder: see the full ranking