A naturally occurring form of calcium carbonate, used as an abrasive, absorbent and bulking ingredient.
What it is
Chalk is a naturally occurring, soft, fine-grained form of calcium carbonate of sedimentary origin. CosIng lists it as an abrasive, absorbent, bulking, opacifying and viscosity-controlling ingredient.
Where it is used
Appears on the ingredient lists of a small number of products.
Limits of interpretation
The INCI list shows which ingredients are present, not how much of each. Above 1%, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; below 1% the order is free.
As a natural mineral, its composition can vary between deposits and batches.
Functions
- Abrasive
- Removing unwanted tissue or foreign materials from various body surfaces, including mechanical tooth cleaning and/or gloss improvement.
- Absorbent
- Taking up water- and/or oil-soluble (dissolved or finely dispersed) substances.
- Bulking
- Non-reactive (chemically inert), solid ingredients that dilute other solids and/or increase the volume of cosmetic products.
- Opacifying
- Reducing transparency or translucency of cosmetics.
- Viscosity controlling
- Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.