Is titanium dioxide in foundation and sunscreen carcinogenic?

Titanium dioxide, found in many cosmetics

Titanium dioxide is used in cosmetics as a UV protection agent and coloring ingredient, and is most often used in sunscreens, face powders, makeup bases, and foundations.

Generally, there is little risk to skin or health when applied to the skin, but this is not necessarily the case when it is in powder form or nano-processed .

What kind of negative effects are people worried about? This article explains in detail.

What is titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide is a fine white powder found in nature.

It has a strong UV protection effect and is often used in sunscreens and makeup products with UV protection.
It is also used as a pigment (colorant) in eye shadow, blush, etc.

Nano-sized titanium dioxide has also come into frequent use since the 1990s.

Titanium dioxide processed into nano-sized pieces

The size of nano-sized titanium dioxide is about 6-50 nm. Since the diameter of cedar pollen is 30-40 μm, titanium dioxide smaller than pollen is sometimes used in cosmetics.

Nano-sized titanium dioxide increases transparency. It also improves the UV protection effect. By taking advantage of these characteristics, it is possible to create a sunscreen that has high UV protection effect without leaving a white cast.

It functions very well as an ingredient.
However, you may actually need to be a little careful with this "nano-processed titanium oxide."

Is it safe to apply titanium dioxide to the skin?

As mentioned at the beginning, titanium dioxide in cosmetics is considered safe to apply to the skin . When used on healthy skin, it is not absorbed through the skin and has been shown to be a safe ingredient.

On the other hand, what about nano-sized titanium dioxide?

It is true that it has some great features, such as not causing white casts and improving UV protection. However, some people point out that it may be easily absorbed through the skin if applied to damaged skin.

A study in which nano-sized titanium dioxide was applied to pig ears showed that the titanium dioxide did not penetrate deep into sun-damaged skin tissue.

However, there have been very few research studies on humans, so the safety of nano-ingredients remains unclear, and safety assessments may be overturned if new research results emerge.

Be careful with powders containing titanium dioxide

There is another risk when it comes to nano-ization.

In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has indicated that titanium dioxide may be carcinogenic.

The reason is its association with lung cancer when inhaled through the mouth or nose.
Animal experiments on rats and mice have shown that when nano-sized titanium dioxide reaches the lungs, it causes severe lung inflammation and cell mutations.

If humans inhale titanium dioxide in cosmetics, it is unlikely to reach the lungs.
Instead, research suggests that it lodges in the bronchi and cranial airways , and we still don't know much about what effect it has on the human bronchi and airways.

When using face powder containing titanium dioxide, it is best to be careful not to inhale it.

How is it listed on the ingredients list?

Cosmetics containing titanium dioxide will list "titanium dioxide" on the ingredient list . However, there is no obligation to list the size of the ingredient on the ingredient list.

Therefore, it is not possible to tell from the ingredient list whether the titanium dioxide used is nano-processed or not. If you are concerned, you will need to contact the manufacturer.

By the way, in Europe it is now mandatory to list any nano ingredients used.

The risk of not knowing

It has often been pointed out that nano-sized titanium dioxide may be more toxic than conventionally sized titanium dioxide.

• Could weakened skin increase the likelihood of percutaneous absorption?
• Although conventional sizes have been deemed safe, this assessment may not apply to nano-sized products.
• Are there any risks to lung cancer or other effects when inhaled by humans?

These concerns about titanium dioxide in cosmetics still exist because there is still a lack of research data to allay them.

It seems that the risk of nano-sized titanium oxide is that the risks are not clearly understood.

We are also distributing information that can only be said on LINE