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Mica

What Mica is & what it does

A mineral that adds shimmer, a soft-focus blur, and a smooth, slippery feel. It is used for glow and to refine the look of the skin surface.

What is Mica and what does it do in sunscreen?

Mica is a natural mineral used as a colorant and texture ingredient. In a sunscreen, especially a tinted or finishing one, it adds shimmer, a soft-focus blur, and a smooth, slippery feel, helping refine the look of the skin surface. It is there for glow and finish rather than for UV protection.

Is Mica safe?

Yes. Mica is a widely used mineral pigment with a long record of safe topical use in cosmetics and is well tolerated. It sits on the surface of the skin to provide color and shimmer and is not absorbed.

Does Mica clog pores?

Generally no. Mica is an inert mineral powder used for shimmer and blur, and it is considered low risk for clogging pores. If a shimmery product breaks you out, the oils and waxes that carry the pigment are usually more relevant than the mica itself.

Is Mica natural?

Yes, it is a naturally occurring mineral, though much cosmetic mica is now produced synthetically (often labelled Synthetic Fluorphlogopite) for consistent purity and color. Both the natural and the lab-made versions do the same job of adding shimmer and a soft-focus finish.

Is Mica a UV filter?

No. Mica is a colorant and shimmer ingredient, not a UV filter. The sun protection in a sunscreen comes from the actual UV filters, while mica only contributes to color, glow, and the cosmetic finish of the product.

Sunscreens with Mica

We rate 749 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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