A natural silica powder from fossilised diatoms, used as an abrasive and absorbent.
What it is
Solum diatomeae is diatomaceous earth, a soft sedimentary material made up of the fossilised silica shells of diatoms, single-celled algae. It consists mainly of silicon dioxide. CosIng lists it as an abrasive, absorbent, anti-caking and opacifying ingredient.
Where it is used
Found in scrubs, masks, powders, toothpastes and other 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.
The INCI name does not show the particle size or whether the material was heat-treated.
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.
- Anticaking
- Preventing agglomeration of particulate solids into lumps or hard masses (cohesive cake), thus allowing free flow of particles.
- Opacifying
- Reducing transparency or translucency of cosmetics.
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.