Mica powder can be used for countless types of projects, from making shimmering wax melts to painting designs on bath bombs or coloring soap base. Some colors of mica can also be used to make lip products, such as tinted lip gloss or sugar scrubs.
What micas are safe for lip products?
The approved uses for mica depend on the ingredients used to color the mica. All of the mica powder we sell is FDA-permitted for general external use and eye-area use. That means you can safely use any of our micas for products used externally, as well as products that may be used near the eyes, such as eye shadow.
In addition to other approved uses, micas that are pigmented with FD&C colorants, titanium dioxide or iron oxide are lip safe. The acronym FD&C stands Food, Drug & Cosmetic. It simply means that the colorant is approved for food, drugs and cosmetic applications.
Although lip products are technically applied externally, the ingredients used for lip products need to be food-safe in order to be approved for lip use. Therefore, micas pigmented with FD&C colorants are safe to use in lip products.
It’s important to understand that FD&C colorants are not the same as D&C colorants. Micas pigmented with D&C (drug and cosmetic) colorants are only approved for external use. Always read the ingredient list when selecting a color of mica for lip products. In addition to mica colored with FD&C, we do sell a variety of micas that are pigmented with D&C colorants.
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Best Mica Colors for Lip Products
We have more than 30 colors of lip safe mica to choose from. These are our favorite lip-safe colors of mica for making DIY beauty products:
- Salmon Pink
- Light Coral
- Metallic Pink
- Salmon
- Bright Red
- Pale Violet
- Scarlet Red
- Violet Red
- Pink
- Coral
- Light Pink
- Rose Red
- Rose Gold
- Reddish Brown
- Rose Quartz
In addition to these classic lipstick colors, we also have a number of other colors that would make truly unique lip products. If you want to go wild with Sparkle Yellow lipstick or Slate Blue lip gloss, you can! Shop our full collection of lip safe micas to see even more colors.
How much mica do you need to color lip balm?
The amount of mica you need to make colored lip balm can vary depending on how intense you want the shade to be, as well as the color of mica you’re using. Generally, can use up to 1/8 tsp of mica per ounce of lip balm base. However, you can use less mica for a lighter, softer effect. For example, you can experiment with using a small amount of Scarlet Red to get a lighter red shade.
Adding too little mica can result in muted colors that don’t add any color to your lips when applied. However, this might be the effect you’re going for. Even a small amount of mica will add color to your lip balm, giving it an attractive appearance.
More Lip Balm Products to Try
If you want to try making your own DIY lip balm, we’ve got you covered! We carry several delicious lip balm flavor oils, as well as lip balm tubes and slide tins. We also have oval shaped and round lip balm tube filling trays that make it super easy to make your own lip products without the mess!