EE1: Mica ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an insoluble colorant and optical-effect pigment used to add shimmer, opacity, brightness, and slip in makeup, skincare, and body products.
What does EE1: Mica do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an insoluble colorant and optical-effect pigment used to add shimmer, opacity, brightness, and slip in makeup, skincare, and body products.
Is EE1: Mica clean?
It is generally well tolerated because it is inert and not readily absorbed through skin. Clean-beauty scrutiny is usually about trace heavy-metal impurities, particle-size control, and documented ethical sourcing rather than routine skin irritation.
Is EE1: Mica sustainable?
This material is mined, so it is non-renewable and tied to land disturbance, labor transparency, and supply-chain traceability concerns. It is not biodegradable in the usual organic-matter sense, but it is a stable geological material rather than a petroleum-derived persistent organic pollutant.
Is EE1: Mica COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when it meets cosmetic-grade purity and contaminant limits. Its Green Chemistry profile is mixed, with minimal chemical processing and low reactivity on one side, and mined, non-renewable sourcing on the other.
How does EE1: Mica work chemically?
The molecule is a layered aluminosilicate platelet material, often represented generically by potassium aluminum silicate structures, and its flat particles reflect light to create sheen and coverage. Typical use can range from below 1% for subtle luminosity to much higher levels in pressed powders, and it is insoluble, heat stable, and broadly pH stable, with dispersion quality and particle size driving payoff and skin feel.
Last updated 2026-05-15