Mica ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as a mineral colorant, opacifier, and shimmer agent, giving powders, makeup, and body products slip, brightness, and pearlescent finish.
What does Mica do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as a mineral colorant, opacifier, and shimmer agent, giving powders, makeup, and body products slip, brightness, and pearlescent finish.
Is Mica clean?
It is generally well tolerated on skin and has little clean-standard friction from a safety perspective. The main concern is supply-chain traceability, especially for natural mined grades linked to labor and sourcing scrutiny.
Is Mica sustainable?
This material is mined from nonrenewable mineral deposits, so its footprint depends on extraction practices, land impact, and labor controls. It is inorganic and environmentally inert, but it does not biodegrade like plant-derived ingredients.
Is Mica COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when it meets mineral and processing requirements, including acceptable surface treatments. From a Green Chemistry lens, it scores well for inertness and low reactivity, but less well for nonrenewable sourcing and mining impact.
How does Mica work chemically?
This material is made of layered, plate-like inorganic particles that reflect light and create sheen through particle size, thickness, and surface smoothness. Typical use ranges from below 1% for subtle luminosity to 10 to 40% or more in color cosmetics, and it is broadly stable across normal cosmetic pH and heat-processing conditions.
Last updated 2026-05-13