Mica powders popularity is increasing year after year. Its uses range from heavy engineering , cosmetics and food.
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In cosmetics mica powder is loved for the shine, lustre and versatility it gives to lip, face and nail products.
But the use of mica powder has sometimes been controversial. In this post we try to pick apart the cosmetic industries love hate relationship with this sought after shiny rock.
Natural mica is the name given to mined mica rock mineral from the ground and usually is made up of four types:
The types of mica that are most useful for industry and beauty sectors are the muscovite and phlogopite varieties.
Sericite is a form of mica derived from muscovite mineral rock. It can have a grey, white or yellow appearance.
Sericite is extremely versatile and is useful in:
The sericite mica commonly used in make-up bases like foundation is a fine matte white powder.
And even though sericite, has a silky texture. Silicon is often added to it to help the foundation spread evenly on the skin.
Huge amounts of natural mica are mined each year with an expected worldwide value of $727 million by .
According to World Bank some 5,239,230 kg came from the United States alone.
With China being the largest exporter at 152,874,000 kg. With India a close second at 108,098,000 kg
These figures don&#;t tell the whole story as many of these mica producers are also major mica importers.
Source: World Bank &#; Top 6 mica exporters by countryMadagascar and Finland are also significant players in mica powder production. The majority of Madagascar&#;s mica is exported to Europe, the United States and the Far East. Finland&#;s mica was exported to Japan, the United States and Germany.
According to sources 18% of mica powder mined is used in cosmetic products worldwide.
The muscovite and phlogopite mineral rocks that we use in our daily lives are initially processed into sheet mica and flake mica.
Flake mica is the most common type of mined mica. It is made from smaller pieces of mica rock. It is also known as scrap mica.
To prepare the flake mica for use in cosmetics. The wet grinding method is used to achieve the perfect size and consistency we need for our mica powder.
Wet grinding is when the flake mica is ground down using water and its impurities are removed. After this process, the resulting mica is called wet ground mica.
Grinding the mica using the wet ground method means that it is possible to make mica powder that has a really fine grade. This enhances the finished micas&#; pearlescent and reflective qualities.
The mica powder is then coated with oxides, lakes and ultramarine pigments to add colour.
Safe to say, most of the mica used in our bath bombs, soaps, nail polish, candles, lipsticks, eye shadows and paints are made from wet ground mica.
On the other hand, sheet mica are blocks of rock that are cut into flat uniform pieces. This property of the rock, to be easily cut into flat pieces, is called its cleavage.
Sheet mica is used mostly in heavy industry and everyday electrical and electronic appliances such as toasters, light fittings and hairdryers.
The reason sheet mica is valued is because it has excellent heat insulation properties and does not conduct electricity.
Because natural mica powder is produced from mineral muscovite and phlogopite rock they are generally not biodegradable.
But the pigments or lakes used to add colour will break down over time if they are organic.
Over recent years, the ethical issues of natural mica have been centred on how mica powder is mined.
With most of the concern being on the use of child workers in artisanal mines located in India and Madagascar.
With this in mind, some brands like Lush have decided to boycott natural mica altogether. Opting to use synthetic mica instead.
With other big names such as L&#;Oreal and Clarins joining the Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI).
Members of the RMI hope to make sure that the mica that they use is traceable throughout the supply chain and child labour-free.
However, because of the difficulties concerning the mica supply chains. And the reality that many families rely on the income from mica mining.
Some pressure groups feel that these initiatives do not do enough to end the problem. And help the children and adults that are most affected.
Synthetic mica is artificial and lab-created. It has some of the characteristics of natural mica. Such as transparency and resistance to heat.
Most of the synthetic mica used in cosmetics today is manufactured in China and Japan. Synthetic mica makes up around 10% of the global supply of mica powders.
A smaller portion of that 10% is used in paint products.
Synthetic mica is a man-made compound.
It is also known as fluorphlogopite, synthetic fluorine mica, synthetic mica crystal or artificial mica.
It is made by heating chemicals together such as potassium carbonate, potassium fluosilicate, quartz sand and fused magnesite.
The compound is then left to cool and form crystals. The resulting crystals are chemically similar to natural phlogopite mica.
The main chemical difference between synthetic mica and natural phlogopite mica is that the hydroxide ion (OH) found in the natural mica phlogopite is replaced by fluorine (F).
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Thus we get the name fluorphlogopite. Which forms the base of all synthetic mica powders.
Synthetic mica resembles natural mica but has a smoother texture and is more transparent.
This can mean that when it is coloured with oxides and lakes. It can seem brighter than natural mica powder.
You can usually find that fluorphlogopite is available in a variety of sizes.
From larger mica flakes with a size of 100-900 micrometres(µm). To smaller mineral mica powders of 5-25 micrometres( µm).
Making it versatile in cosmetics such as eye makeup, nail polish, soap and paints.
Biodegradability essentially means that something can be broken down naturally. Ideally being consumed by bacteria and fungi.
The substance decays and is absorbed into the surrounding earth over time without any special treatment or human intervention.
Synthetic mica like natural mica is not biodegradable and does not break down naturally over time.
But for some, biodegradability is not a major cause for concern , since synthetic micas, like natural micas, are made from compounds and chemicals which can be found naturally in the ground anyway.
The main selling point for fluorphlogopite based micas is that using them will reduce the need and dependency on natural micas in the future.
Also, for many years, anti-slavery organisations have voiced concerns about artisanal and small-scale mining in third-world countries. With their ongoing incidences of alleged child and worker abuse.
With this in mind, campaigners have been encouraged to step up their promotion of synthetic mica.
For them, using synthetic mica will take the ethical uncertainty out of the use of natural mica in cosmetics.
So consumers can know where the mica, they use in their everyday cosmetics and bath & body products, comes from.
A report commissioned by BASF colours & effects. Challenged the widely accepted idea that synthetic mica is the obvious eco-friendly and ethical alternative to natural mica.
It cited that larger amounts of energy are used in the production of synthetic mica compared to natural mica.
The report also said that synthetic mica has &#;6.5x the environmental impact of mining and processing natural mica&#;.
It focused on the fact that most of the synthetic mica that is used today is made in Japan and China.
And suggested that the carbon footprint of consumers in the United States would increase, due to the larger transportation and production costs of synthetic mica
The report implied that because most of BASF&#;s natural mica mining is done locally in Peekskill and North Charleston in Georgia.
Environmental costs of production and transportation across North America. Would be less compared to importing synthetic mica.
Source: BASF Colors & Effects &#; Environmental impact synthetic v natural micaAdmittedly, many people would see the findings in the report as biased. And more relevant to the natural mica powder industry in the United States.
And a sign of increasing United States trade protectionism. In relation to foreign imports, especially from China and the Far East.
However, it does give us an alternate take when deciding what type of mica powder pigments to buy and use. And the ethical and environmental fallout of doing so.
Versatile: can be used in cosmetics electronic and heavy industry
Huge deposits worldwide
Cheaper to buy for the creators and customers
Can contain heavy metal & impurities.
Potential ethical issues.
More colours options available for creators.
Not biodegradable
Pearlescent and transparent.Near white.
Free of heavy and metal impurities.
Expensive to make. Cost is more for the customer and companies.
Takes longer to make and uses more energy.
No concerns about child labour. May have environmental issues.
Not biodegradable
Ultimately the decision to use natural or synthetic mica will be yours&#; the creator or the buyer.
When choosing what goes into their favourite lip balm, nail polish, eye shadow or soap. There are many issues that need to be considered before deciding what you and your customer base feel is important.
God willing this article has gone some way to make that decision easier.
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