Powders, pigments, and a silicone elastomer that set slip, opacity, and finish — boron nitride, silica, titanium dioxide, mica, and dimethicone crosspolymer — for powders, foundations, and primers.
Sensory modifiers are powders, pigments, and elastomers added to set how a product applies and looks — its slip, opacity, and finish — rather than its bulk chemistry. They split into mineral fillers and pigments (boron nitride, silica, titanium dioxide, mica) and silicone elastomers (dimethicone crosspolymer). Use level is usually a few percent in the powder or oil phase, so small changes in grade and particle size shift the result.
Boron nitride functions as a slip and soft-focus powder in pressed and loose products, commonly at 1 to 10%. Silica is an oil-absorbing filler for a matte finish. The trade-off is that the higher silica loadings that cut shine also reduce slip and can read as dry, so formulators pair silica with boron nitride or an elastomer to restore glide. Specify boron nitride where slip is the priority and silica where oil control is.
Titanium dioxide is the standard white pigment and opacifier; mica is the workhorse pearlescent for optical effect. Dimethicone crosspolymer is a silicone elastomer used for soft-focus optical blur and viscosity control in anhydrous and emulsion systems. Confirm the regulatory status of titanium dioxide for your application and jurisdiction, because powder and inhalable uses face restrictions in some markets.
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