An Overview of Surface Treatments for Pigments and Powders

Surface treated pigments and powders are used worldwide for manufacturing cosmetics and personal care products. Treated pigments for color cosmetics improve their attributes while adding to their selling points. Also, surface treatments tend to be highly favoured by product development teams and consumers for lending aesthetic and functional enhancements to beauty and personal care items.

Need for Surface Treatments

Surface treatment of pigments and powders boost the aesthetic and functional attributes of product formulations. One of many reasons behind the surface treatment of cosmetic pigments is the ability to enhance the pigment’s dispersion attribute.

Cosmetic products are used on hair, nails, and skin. These products are applied using fingertips, brushes, sticks or other tools. Cosmetic product users want the application process to be convenient. Surface treated cosmetic pigments simplify this process and help to make it user-friendly.

Surface treated inorganic pigments used in cosmetics also make it easier for users to benefit from the functional attributes such as moisturizing, water-resistance etc. Cosmetic and personal care product brands also experience improved sales by promoting the enhanced attributes of the products.

Types of Surface Treatment for pigments and powders

Other than improving pigment dispersions, surface treatment of pigments and powders are employed in the cosmetic industry to enhance adhesion, boost physical and chemical steadiness and to minimize dusting of powders. Innovative products are being developed by cosmetic brands through surface treated inorganic pigments and powders.

Titanium dioxide, one of the popular commonly used pigments, features a surface which could be altered with elements that will influence its characteristics. Surface treatments generally contain oxides of silica as well as alumina. Chemicals which could be used on surfaces include methicone, dimethicone, silanes and perfluoroalkyl phosphate.

Choosing the right treatment for cosmetics

Deciding which surface treatment to choose for a specific application isn’t easy. It depends on the product nature linked to the benefit which is to be obtained from the final product.

Chemisorption and Physisorption are the types of treatments that can be chosen based on the desired output. The major difference is that chemisorption is a permanent treatment while physisorption is a not really a permanent treatment. Both the treatments offer denser layers with good surface coverage.

To achieve optimum performance from surface treatment of pigments and powders you need to answer the following questions:

• What are the chemical and physical properties desired by the treatment?
• What is the surface coverage that is to be achieved?
• How much strength is needed to create a perfect bond between the substrate and the chosen treatment?
• What are the possibilities that can be realized through the chosen substrate?

Advantages of Surface treatment of pigments and powders

The advantages of surface treatments could boost the manufacturing process, in addition, to providing top quality products for the customer by means of well-researched formulations.

Finally, here are some notable advantages of surface treatments:

• Enhancements in skin adhesion and water resistance through surface treatments result in the production of high-quality, effective and long-lasting cosmetic products.
• Surface treatment of cosmetic pigments can modify and even out the topography of the pigment.
• The application on the skin is much easier for cosmetics users as the treated pigments for colour cosmetics are more stable pigments with a lesser amount of friction.
• Surface treatment of pigments enhances the substrate’s compatibility with the hair and skin, leading to improved adhesion.

Surface treated pigments is used to improve performance in a variety of colour cosmetic formulations.