DIATOMACEOUS EARTH ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used mainly as an absorbent and mild abrasive, helping control oil, add slip, reduce tack, and provide gentle polishing in powders, masks, scrubs, and tooth-care formulas.
What does DIATOMACEOUS EARTH do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used mainly as an absorbent and mild abrasive, helping control oil, add slip, reduce tack, and provide gentle polishing in powders, masks, scrubs, and tooth-care formulas.
Is DIATOMACEOUS EARTH clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally accepted and usually well tolerated on skin when used in rinse-off or pressed formats. The main quality issue is fine airborne dust and trace crystalline mineral content, so particle size control and supplier purity data matter.
Is DIATOMACEOUS EARTH sustainable?
This material is mined from naturally occurring deposits, so it is not renewable in the agricultural sense. It is an inert mineral and does not biodegrade, but it also does not behave like a persistent synthetic polymer in waterways.
Is DIATOMACEOUS EARTH COSMOS-approved?
It is generally compatible with COSMOS-natural when sourced as a naturally occurring mineral and processed by allowed physical methods, while organic certification is not applicable to mineral matter. Its Green Chemistry fit is moderate, with simple processing and inertness on the positive side, and mining plus non-renewable feedstock on the caution side.
How does DIATOMACEOUS EARTH work chemically?
The molecule is a porous, amorphous hydrated mineral network built from silicon, oxygen, and bound water, which gives it high surface area and strong oil-absorption capacity. It is stable across normal cosmetic pH ranges, insoluble in water and oils, and is typically managed by particle size, dusting tendency, and dispersion quality rather than by classic solubility or oxidation behavior.
Last updated 2026-05-13