Any titanium dioxide has a certain ability to absorb ultraviolet rays, as well as excellent chemical stability, thermal stability, and non-toxicity. Ultrafine titanium dioxide, due to its smaller particle size (present in a transparent form) and greater activity, has a stronger ability to absorb ultraviolet rays. Moreover, characteristics such as color removal effect, covering power, clear color tone, low abrasiveness, and good dispersibility determine that titanium dioxide is a widely used inorganic raw material in cosmetics.

The annual global consumption of titanium dioxide in the cosmetics industry was estimated to be between 3,500 tons and 4,000 tons in the 1980s, and is currently estimated to be above 5,000 tons and below 10,000 tons. Depending on the different functions of titanium dioxide in cosmetics, different qualities of titanium dioxide can be selected.

By utilizing the whiteness and opacity of titanium dioxide, the color range of cosmetics can be very wide. When titanium dioxide is used as a white additive, rutile-type titanium dioxide is mainly used, but considering the covering power and sun resistance, it is better to use anatase-type titanium dioxide.

Titanium dioxide used in cosmetics requires high purity and strict requirements on the content of harmful impurities. For example: The European Community Food Additives Regulation (applicable to cosmetics) stipulates that the acid-soluble substances of titanium dioxide for cosmetics should be less than 0.35%, as less than 5×10-6, pb less than 20×10-6, sb less than 100×10-6, cu less than 100×10-6, cr less than 100×10-6, zn less than 50×10-6, baso4 less than 5×10-6, (sb + cu + cr + zn + baso4) less than 200×10-6, and hg cannot be detected.

The regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for food, drugs, and cosmetics stipulate that the total amount of sio4 and/or ai2o3 used as a dispersing aid in titanium dioxide for cosmetics should not exceed 2%, pb less than 10×10-6, as less than 1×10-6, sb less than 2×10-6, hg less than 1×10-6. In addition, after drying at 105℃ for 3 hours and then calcining at 800℃, the weight loss should not be greater than 0.5%. The water-soluble content should not be greater than 0.3%, and the content of titanium dioxide after drying for 3 hours at 105℃ should be no less than 98.0%, with an average particle size less than 1 μm.