Ka
Kaolin Clay
Kaolin
Soft white clay. The gentlest cosmetic clay; good for sensitive skin masks.
What it does
Kaolin is the most commonly used cosmetic clay. It absorbs surface oil and lifts away surface debris without the strong drawing action of more aggressive clays like bentonite. White kaolin is the softest variant; pink, red, and yellow variants have iron oxide differences but similar functional behavior. Useful in masks for normal-to-dry skin where bentonite would be too drying.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusKaolin is one of the clay silicates reviewed for cosmetic use, where clay silicates function primarily as adsorbents, opacifiers and viscosity-increasing agents. Dermal irritation testing across the silicate group was minimal to negative; the group's notable toxicity signal is by inhalation, not skin contact.Elmore 2003 · International journal of toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
kaolin, china clay
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