During the recent annual meeting in New York of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC), BASF Corp. highlighted effect pigments as its technology showcase feature. The company identified four themes for 2008 color cosmetic trends, including: calming, narrative, resonating and polychromatic. Unique optical characteristics of these pigments are said to successfully mimic the dramatic appearance of multi-layered colors and textures seen as makeup or textiles on today's fashion circuit.
Calm and luminous effects are achievable with the company's iridescent pigments, which have a lamellar structure consisting of only titanium dioxide platelets. The narration effect reportly is created with satiny, lustrous and shimmering effects with dual shades of blue and pink. These pigments are metal oxide coated mica particles with a nano-sized thin layer of colored pigment, which produce a distinctive two-color look.
Resonance is achieved with a sparkling effect, producing radiance and intense accents. These pigments consist of a series of borosilicate-based effects with high levels of color purity and reflectivity. Finally, the polychromatic color travel effect is achieved with pigments consisting of non-quarter wavelength and multi-layer coatings.
