The handmade soap and cosmetic industry uses the term “mica” but it is interesting to find that industry chemists and manufacturers actually refer to these colorants as “effects pigments”. They are made of organic and inorganic pigments. These are joined together with binders and additives that allow the colors to be used in various applications. It is important to note that it is the organic or inorganic pigment ingredients that influence performance. For example, when a color contains the ingredient Ferric Ferrocynide or dyes they will morph or fade in high pH products such as cold process soap.

Prior to buying a powder you may be interested in determining the amount of sparkle in a powder. That is simple! Look for the particle size of the colorant. For example a particle size of 40 μm gives a super sparkle while a size of 20 μm will produce a shimmer. Basically, the bigger the number the larger the sparkle.