Micas - What are they?

Colour is one way to give your bath and beauty projects personality and flair. But with so many colourant options, it can be hard to choose! One of the most popular type of colourant in soap and other bath and beauty products are micas. Micas are a powder colourant which usually contain a slight to intense shimmer. Extremely fine, micas are a great choice because they are easy to mix into a variety of mediums. But, micas can often morph in the high pH environment of cold process soap.

In the soaping world, micas conjure images of rainbow-hued powders with lots of sparkle. In geology, mica refers to a group of metamorphic minerals. Metamorphic rocks and minerals are formed from pre-existing rocks by exposure to extreme heat and pressures. Micas come in many different forms due to the wide array of ways in which they can form within the earth. In fact, there are more than 20 different kinds of mica mineral!

While all slightly different, mica minerals can be described as a shiny, flaky substance that can be peeled off into thin layers. Mica minerals come in a variety of naturally occurring colours. In addition to soap and cosmetics, mica minerals are used in a wide variety of applications including electronic equipment. Once the mica mineral is mined, it’s coated with colourants, pigments or a combination of both to achieve different colours.

Mica colourants can be used in a wide variety of projects. Unfortunately, most micas morph in cold process soap. Typically, whether or not a mica works in cold process depends on what type of colourant is used to dye the mica. We recommend doing a small test batch to make sure the colour is stable in your particular recipe. Morphing is not always a bad thing.

Even if a mica does work in cold process, it often isn’t very sparkly. That’s because there is no light for reflection (since cold process soap is opaque). To use it in cold process soap, start with 2 teaspoon of colourant per pound of soap, and feel free to add more if you want a brighter colour. Because micas are fine and easier to incorporate than oxides, dispersing the colourant in oil is optional. If a mica morphs in cold process, don’t fret! You can still incorporate them into your cold process projects with mica lines and mica painting.

Mica painting involves mixing the colourant with a liquid oil, which is then applied to the top of the soap and swirled.

Micas work great in melt and pour soap, with no possibility of morphing. If you are using a clear, transparent or translucent base, we recommend about 1/2 a teaspoon per pound to achieve a nice, strong pearl effect. Simply add the powder into your melted melt and pour soap base. If pesky little “mica bubbles” float to the top, spritz them with a bit of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and you’ll see them burst open. Just stir everything in until the mica is well incorporated. For even easier mixing, disperse the mica into a small amount of rubbing alcohol with a ratio of 1 tsp. mica into 1 Tbs. alcohol and add to the melted soap base.

With a fine texture and lots of shimmer, micas are the perfect choice for eye shadows and lip products.

Thanks for reading!