CosmeticBet
UV filters

Titanium dioxide

INCI: TITANIUM DIOXIDE · also CI 77891

A white mineral pigment that is also a UV filter.

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O2Ti79.87 g/mol
titaniumoxygen
2D drawing from PubChem 26042 (hydrogens hidden)

How common

All products3.8%
In sunscreens22%
In make-up products15%
In toothpastes11%

558 of 14,784 products with a full ingredient list in Open Beauty Facts; No. 77 of all the names found on their labels.

What it is

  • The oxide of titanium (TiO2), found in nature as minerals such as rutile and anatase. As a pigment it is called titanium white or CI 77891.

    2 sourcesHide
    Titanium dioxide is a titanium oxide with the formula TiO2. A naturally occurring oxide sourced from ilmenite, rutile and anatase[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open source
    It is used as a pigment under the names titanium white, Pigment White 6 (PW6), or CI 77891.[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open source

Why it is in products

  • As a UV filter in sunscreens, and as a white pigment in make-up and many other products.

    2 sourcesHide
    FDA’s review of publicly available evidence has found sufficient safety data on both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to support a proposal that sunscreen products containing these ingredients (at concentrations of up to 25%) are GRASE.[2] US Food and Drug Administration · open source
    It is used as a pigment under the names titanium white, Pigment White 6 (PW6), or CI 77891.[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open source

Downsides and safety

  • The concern is breathing it in: California lists airborne particles small enough to inhale as a cause of cancer, and the EU keeps it out of products that could be inhaled, apart from loose face powders and hair sprays within limits.

    3 sourcesHide
    Titanium dioxide (airborne, unbound particles of respirable size) can cause cancer according to California Labor Code.[1] PubChem (US National Library of Medicine) · open source
    321 Titanium dioxide in powder form containing 1 % or more of particles with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm[3] EU law · 2026 · open source
    (c) Not to be used in applications that may lead to exposure of the end-user’s lungs by inhalation[3] EU law · 2026 · open source

  • On the skin, the FDA found enough safety data to propose it as safe and effective in sunscreens at up to 25%.

    Well establishedSourceHide
    FDA’s review of publicly available evidence has found sufficient safety data on both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to support a proposal that sunscreen products containing these ingredients (at concentrations of up to 25%) are GRASE.[2] US Food and Drug Administration · open source

Where it works

SurfaceOuter layer(stratum corneum)Living layer(epidermis)Dermis

On the skin, in the layer of sunscreen, where filters protect it from UV rays.

SourceHide
In the case of sunscreen, active ingredients are the ones that are protecting your skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.[4] US Food and Drug Administration · open source

Rules

European Union

  • As a UV filter up to 25%. In powders with very fine particles: up to 25% in loose face powders and 1.4% in hair sprays for consumers, and not in other products that could be inhaled.

    2 sourcesHide
    27 Titanium dioxide ( 2 ) Titanium Dioxide 13463-67-7/1317-70-0/1317-80-2 236-675-5/215-280-1/215-282-2 25 % ( 4 )[3] EU law · 2026 · open source
    (a) face products in loose powder form (b) hair aerosol spray products (c) other products (a) 25 %; (b) 1,4 % for general consumers[3] EU law · 2026 · open source

United States

  • A sunscreen ingredient the FDA proposes as safe and effective up to 25%.

    SourceHide
    FDA’s review of publicly available evidence has found sufficient safety data on both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to support a proposal that sunscreen products containing these ingredients (at concentrations of up to 25%) are GRASE.[2] US Food and Drug Administration · open source

Sources

  1. PubChem: Titanium dioxide (CID 26042), record description PubChem (US National Library of Medicine)PubChem (US National Library of Medicine)
  2. Questions and Answers: FDA’s regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen | FDA US Food and Drug Administration
  3. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, consolidated text of 18 May 2026 Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex/Cellar), 2026EU law
  4. Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun | FDA US Food and Drug Administration

Checked against these sources on 4 November 2026. Spot a mistake? Tell us.