MINERAL
Mica
- mineral
A mineral that adds shimmer or opacity to the product. It affects how the bottle looks, not how hair behaves.
- products in our library
- 103
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #20
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Insoluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How much oil the solid takes up.
A solid at room temperature holds hair where it is put.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a real cleanser | 5 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Removed mechanically | 1 of 5 |
| Absorbency | None | 1 of 5 |
| Grip | None | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Mica does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A solid particle: it changes how a formula looks and feels, not what it cleans.
Purely how the product looks in the bottle.
The colour of what is in the bottle or, in a depositing product, of your hair.
It dissolves in neither water nor oil, so it is removed by washing or brushing.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Does not dissolve in water or oil. It sits on the surface and is removed mechanically or by cleansing.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
29 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Mask / treatment
17 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Conditioner
11 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: paste
11 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Dry shampoo
4 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Finisher: oil
4 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Leave-in
3 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
2 products
|
secondary · #29 |
10 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: serum
2 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: shine spray
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: hairspray
2 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Heat protectant
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Scalp treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #14 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 29 | 2% | 20 | 11 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 17 | 3% | 16 | 3 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 11 | 1% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 11 | 6% | 19 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 2% | 13 | 6 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 4 | 3% | 6 | 5 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 4 | 1% | 7 | 6 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 3 | 0% | 15 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 3 | 4% | 16 | 11 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 2 | 6% | 29 | 25 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 2 | 1% | 11 | 10 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 2 | 2% | 20 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 1% | 18 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 2 | 1% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 1 | 0% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 1 | 0% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 3% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 1% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 1 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 14 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 27 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 38 |
| 26+ | Trace | 23 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.
A deposited colorant is a surface layer. It is a very small amount of material, but on a routine already fighting for root lift it is one more thing sitting on the strand.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8.Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- body and opacity
- a creamy-looking product
- a product whose colour you can see
- a visible surface effect
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a secondary mineral, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- a treatment effect (it changes how the formula looks and feels)
- that it will change your hair colour
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Titanium Dioxide · 62
- Benzyl Alcohol · 37
- Sodium Chloride · 28
- Citronellol · 27
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 27
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 26
- Carbomer · 24
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 24
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 24
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 23
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to absorb oil and add texture, carry the formula and let it dry, and keep the formula stable.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
L'Oreal Professionnel · Mask / treatment
Serie Expert Absolut Repair Golden Mask
#3 on the label · $4.97/oz
R+Co Bleu · Styler
Reflective Shine Hairspray
#4 on the label · $12.67/oz
Drybar · Heat protectant
Liquid Glass High-Gloss Smoothing Blowout Cream
#5 on the label · $10.06/oz
Kitsch · Dry shampoo
Dark Volumizing Rice Protein Dry Shampoo with Puff
#5 on the label · $53.57/oz
Kitsch · Dry shampoo
Volumizing Rice Protein Dry Shampoo - Invisible
#5 on the label · $15.00/oz
IGK · Styler
Rich Kid Coconut Oil Gel
#6 on the label · $4.35/oz
L'anza · Mask / treatment
Intensive Hair Masque
#6 on the label · $6.78/oz
narka · Finisher
Gentle Shine Hair Essence
#6 on the label · $27.23/oz
American Crew · Styler
Molding Clay
#7 on the label · $6.66/oz
Kitsch · Dry shampoo
Light Volumizing Rice Protein Dry Shampoo with Puff
#7 on the label · $53.57/oz
Nuxe · Finisher
Huile Prodigieuse Shimmering Dry Oil 1.6 fl.oz.
#7 on the label · $21.25/oz
Nuxe · Finisher
Huile Prodigieuse Shimmering Roll-on
#7 on the label · $19.00/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Mica
- CAS 12001-26-2
- PubChem 131842327
- colourant
- opacifier
- mica
For your hair?
Whether Mica matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 3rd most-listed mineral, clay or powder in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 131842327, CAS 12001-26-2, Al6F2H2K2O22Si6 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 103 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
