Variations of titanium dioxide are added to enhance the whiteness of paint, plastics, and paper products, though these variations differ from the food-grade ones for things we eat (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

Titanium dioxide comes in the form of a white powder and is sometimes used in cosmetics to adjust a color to a lighter shade. This is also why it can produce a white cast.

According to the EFSA's Expert Panel on Food Additives and Flavorings 2021 opinion regarding titanium dioxide, it could not rule out a concern for genotoxicity from ingestion of the material based on a perceived gap in data on this risk, which serves as the basis for current ban, said a March report on the decision.

Titanium dioxide makes products, like toothpaste, white and bright. It's also used in makeup, sunscreen, plastic, and paint. (Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images)

Solids were stable and did not show visible signs or changes in their spectra after being kept at room temperature for over 60 days. The absorbance at the maximum absorbance wavelength remained unmodified.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles may accumulate and cause DNA damage

What Is Titanium Dioxide?

In the application of lithopone in ink industry, lithopone has fine particles, loose structure, good fineness and good paint adhesion, so it can be well combined with other colors in the composition of ink.

The titanium dioxide market fluctuated in the first two quarters of 2023. These pricing patterns resulted from poor demand and reduced intakes from the downstream industries. Amid the slow demand, the manufacturers were forced to reduce their outputs. With rising inflation rates, production cuts gradually increased. Given the economic downturn, the labor strikes further affected the market dynamics, thereby exerting pressure on the pricing fundamentals.