Are Effect Pigments Environmentally Friendly?

Whether they're used for eyeshadow or automotive coatings, effect pigments can be found in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. In addition to adding visual appeal, these specialty ingredients help enhance product performance, which is why more formulators are choosing them as they seek out the durability, weatherability and other properties that will withstand UV radiation, heat, chemicals, and humidity.

While metallic pigments are planar flakes of opaque metal, pearlescent and interference pigments have a multilayer structure that produces reflection, refraction and optical interference. This allows for unique effects and color combinations that would be impossible with conventional metal oxide based metallic pigments, such as bismuth oxychloride or basic lead carbonate.

Another benefit of these pigments is that they're produced in aqueous medium, reducing exposure to the polychlorinated intermediates and organic solvents used in the manufacture of traditional high-performance pigments. Furthermore, RightfitTM pigments are low in potential toxicity and migration, eliminating the health risk from the heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium(VI) and lead that are used to make many other high-performance colorants.