Mica, Mega Sparkle Coated, Iridescent/Pearlescent Flake, #4 Fine Flake Size (4th Finest)

Please note this is a raw pigment intended to be dispersed into a liquid medium to make paints. Our raw pigments are not meant for use in cosmetics and are not cosmetic grade. Certain pigments disperse more easily than others in certain liquid mediums. For those difficult to disperse into a liquid of your choice, they will need to be ground by a muller or a mortar and pestle into the medium.

Safety note: Handle all dry pigments with care. Work slowly to avoid generating airborne dust and wear a dust mask for extra protection. Also avoid getting the dust all over your hands. Latex gloves are good at providing skin protection without "getting in the way".

This Mega Sparkle is the coarsest of 4 Pearlescent Mica Flake sizes = #4 finest.
This mica-based pigment is compatible with all media but works best when mixed with clear materials. This is a coated mica flake product of very small particle size. It's coated to create a Pearlescent/Iridescent effect similar to a white pearl. There are a series of 4 of this particular "white pearl" color: "Super Silk", "Pearl Silk", "Super Sparkle", and "Mega Sparkle. The difference between them is in their particle size. They are listed in finest to coarsest particle size. The 2 finer ones have a "silky" shiny pearlescent effect, and the 2 coarser ones have a "brilliant" shiny pearlescent effect.

The coated pearlescent micas are also used for 2 more series of colored micas: one has a subtle coloration and is available in several "tinted" pearlescent colors; we carry 4, an gold tint, a blue tint, a green tint and red tint. Another has bright metallic colors (we carry 4: Bronze Metallic, Yellow Gold, 24-Karat, and Copper Metallic. ) which are similar but about half the price of the "bronzing" or "bronze flakes" we have which are made of actual metal alloys.

Many of these coated micas are reminiscent of the Pearl-Ex micas which have been around for quite a while now. Most of them are more cost effective than Pearl-Ex, but Pearl-Ex still has the edge on some of the "interference" flakes. With mica and in general with other flake products, the finer the flake, the more expensive it is and the greater range of effects it can have. Most Pearlescent/Iridescent, and other coated micas work best with low loading percentages in transparent resins and coatings. The "effects" they produce will be diminished with more opaque mediums. Any of the Pearlescent/Iridescent flakes can be mixed with low amounts of pigments to achieve colored pearlescent effects. More effect choices are possible with transparent organic dyes, such as the Orasol dyes we have.

In general, mica and coated mica is used in paints and resins and has many applications in many products that are used in both consumer and industrial products. Although ours is not cosmetic grade, it would be fine to use with nail polishes. It's used extensively in cosmetics for its reflective and refractive properties. It's an ingredient in blushes, eye liner, eye shadow, foundation, hair and body glitter, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, and moisturizing lotions.

The Wikipedia article on mica is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mica
"Throughout the ages, fine powders of mica have been used for various purposes, including decorations. Powdered mica glitter is used to decorate traditional water clay pots in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; it is also used on traditional Pueblo pottery, though not restricted to use on water pots in this case. The gulal and abir (colored powders) used by North Indian Hindus during the festive season of Holi contain fine crystals of mica to create a sparkling effect....

The leading use of dry-ground mica in the US is in joint compound for filling and finishing seams and blemishes in gypsum wallboard (drywall). The mica acts as a filler and extender, provides a smooth consistency, improves the workability of the compound, and provides resistance to cracking. In the paint industry, ground mica is used as a pigment extender that also facilitates suspension, reduces chalking, prevents shrinking and shearing of the paint film, increases resistance of the paint film to water penetration and weathering, and brightens the tone of colored pigments.....

The plastics industry used dry-ground mica as an extender and filler, especially in parts for automobiles as lightweight insulation to suppress sound and vibration. Mica is used in plastic automobile fascia and fenders as a reinforcing material, providing improved mechanical properties and increased dimensional stability, stiffness, and strength. Mica-reinforced plastics also have high-heat dimensional stability, reduced warpage, and the best surface properties of any filled plastic composite......

The rubber industry used ground mica as an inert filler and mold release compound in the manufacture of molded rubber products such as tires and roofing. The platy texture acts as an antiblocking, antisticking agent. Rubber mold lubricant accounted for 1.5% of the dry-ground mica used in 2008. As a rubber additive, mica reduces gas permeation and improves resiliency......Dry-ground mica is used in the production of rolled roofing and asphalt shingles, where it serves as a surface coating to prevent sticking of adjacent surfaces. The coating is not absorbed by freshly manufactured roofing because mica’s platy structure is unaffected by the acid in asphalt or by weather conditions. Mica is used in decorative coatings on wallpaper, concrete, stucco, and tile surfaces. It also is used as an ingredient in flux coatings on welding rods, in some special greases, and as coatings for core and mold release compounds, facing agents, and mold washes in foundry applications. Dry-ground phlogopite mica is used in automotive brake linings and clutch plates to reduce noise and vibration (asbestos substitute); as sound-absorbing insulation for coatings and polymer systems; in reinforcing additives for polymers to increase strength and stiffness and to improve stability to heat, chemicals, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation; in heat shields and temperature insulation; in industrial coating additive to decrease the permeability of moisture and hydrocarbons; and in polar polymer formulations to increase the strength of epoxies, nylons, and polyesters.......

Wet-ground mica, which retains the brilliancy of its cleavage faces, is used primarily in pearlescent paints by the automotive industry. Many metallic-looking pigments are composed of a substrate of mica coated with another mineral, usually titanium dioxide (TiO2). The resultant pigment produces a reflective color depending on the thickness of the coating. These products are used to produce automobile paint, shimmery plastic containers, high quality inks used in advertising and security applications. In the cosmetics industry, its reflective and refractive properties make mica an important ingredient in blushes, eye liner, eye shadow, foundation, hair and body glitter, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, moisturizing lotions, and nail polish. Some brands of toothpaste include powdered white mica. This acts as a mild abrasive to aid polishing of the tooth surface, and also adds a cosmetically pleasing, glittery shimmer to the paste. Mica is added to latex balloons to provide a colored shiny surface....

The mica group represents 37 phyllosilicate minerals that have a layered or platy texture. The commercially important micas are muscovite and phlogopite, which are used in a variety of applications. Mica’s value is based on several of its unique physical properties. The crystalline structure of mica forms layers that can be split or delaminated into thin sheets usually causing foliation in rocks. These sheets are chemically inert, dielectric, elastic, flexible, hydrophilic, insulating, lightweight, platy, reflective, refractive, resilient, and range in opacity from transparent to opaque. Mica is stable when exposed to electricity, light, moisture, and extreme temperatures. It has superior electrical properties as an insulator and as a dielectric, and can support an electrostatic field while dissipating minimal energy in the form of heat; it can be split very thin (0.025 to 0.125 millimeters or thinner) while maintaining its electrical properties, has a high dielectric breakdown, is thermally stable to 500 °C (932 °F), and is resistant to corona discharge.......

Mica is also used as an insulator in concrete block and home attics, and can be poured into walls (usually in retrofitting uninsulated open top walls). Mica may also be used as a soil conditioner, especially in potting soil mixes and in gardening plots. Greases used for axles are composed of a compound of fatty oils to which mica, tar or graphite is added to increase the durability of the grease and give it a better surface...."-

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