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Skin care and cosmetics

Titanium dioxide (skin)

What the research shows

Prototype

Concerning

in animal and lab studies only

1 of 3 health findings on this page · See the findings

Used on skin in creams, lotions, sunscreens, makeup and soaps.

As a food ingredient: Titanium dioxide

What research says

Studies in people

  • No harm found

    Skin penetration1

    Studies in people and animals found nano-titanium dioxide in sunscreen stays in the skin's outer layers and doesn't reach the body.

Animal and lab studies only

  • Concern

    Skin cell changes3

    In lab studies, titanium dioxide made skin cells die off, but it did not clearly affect how many cells lived or grew.

  • Benefit

    Sun protection and skin moisture4

    In lab studies, titanium dioxide coated with hyaluronic acid boosted sunscreen SPF and kept skin moisturized, mostly staying on the skin's surface.

How it’s made and used

  • Makeup powder content2

    Titanium dioxide levels were highest in eyeshadows, reaching 36% in one blue eyeshadow.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what published research says about putting it on skin. Talk to a doctor or dermatologist about your own skin.

Regulatory status

We have not checked cosmetic regulations for this ingredient yet. The rules for skin products differ from the food rules on the food page.

References

  1. 1Dréno B, Alexis A, Chuberre B, Marinovich M. Safety of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in cosmetics. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2019;33 Suppl 7:34-46. doi:10.1111/jdv.15943
  2. 2Amorello D, Ferrara M, Orecchio S. Titanium dioxide in face powders and eyeshadows: Developing an analytical methodology for accessing customer safety. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024;23(10):3388-3394. doi:10.1111/jocd.16422
  3. 3Wright C, Iyer AK, Wang L, et al. Effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on human keratinocytes. Drug Chem Toxicol. 2017;40(1):90-100. doi:10.1080/01480545.2016.1185111
  4. 4Gui H, Liu H, Cai Y, et al. Hyaluronic acid-grafted titanium dioxide nanoparticles for moisture-retentive and non-cytotoxic sunscreen creams. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025;311(Pt 4):143957. doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143957