(July 31, 2026)Domestic beauty brands are rising rapidly, ushering in a window of domestic substitution for high-purity cosmetic-grade silica dedicated to color cosmetics and skincare products. Clean beauty and long-lasting makeup have become mainstream trends in the industry. Beauty brands at home and abroad keep optimizing formulas for sunscreens, liquid foundations, loose powders and creams. With excellent oil control, matte effect and suspension stability, modified silica for cosmetics acts as a core skin feel regulator and functional powder. The beauty and daily chemical sector has gradually become a brand-new incremental market for high-end fine silica.
For a long time, skin-friendly silica used in high-end color cosmetic systems has long relied on imported overseas products. Ordinary industrial-grade powder contains excessive impurities and features rough particle texture. Direct addition easily causes caking when applying skincare products and creasing in makeup. It also impairs dispersion stability of sunscreen systems, failing to meet cosmetic safety standards and experience requirements of premium skincare products. Beauty-specific silica with deep purification and mild surface modification meets strict standards on heavy metals and microorganisms, delivering fine and smooth texture. Hydrophilic grades are applied for thickening and stabilizing creams, serums and lotions; hydrophobically modified products are widely used in matte foundation, waterproof sunscreen, pressed powder and solid cosmetics. They effectively absorb excess sebum, create soft-focus matte texture, prevent pigment sedimentation and extend makeup lasting time.
In the second half of 2026, new sunscreen and autumn & winter base makeup products enter centralized production cycles. Domestic beauty brands continuously promote localized procurement of raw materials. Global regulatory standards for beauty raw materials keep tightening, and many countries have released clean beauty raw material lists, pushing formulators to phase out low-purity non-standard powder. Leading domestic silica enterprises accelerate the construction of dust-free daily chemical production lines, continuously optimize particle size control and surface coating processes, and develop graded products suitable for water-based skincare, ointment cosmetics and powder cosmetics. Many powder enterprises conduct joint formula testing with beauty R&D labs, and develop customized filler solutions for lightweight sunscreen, long-wear base makeup and setting powder.
Different beauty categories impose differentiated indicator requirements on silica. Waterproof sunscreen products prioritize powder dispersibility and water resistance; matte liquid foundation pursues delicate skin feel without whitening or balling; loose powder and solid cosmetics require strong oil absorption and soft-focus effect; moisturizing cream systems demand high powder affinity without damaging the moisturizing texture of skincare formulas. A single universal grade cannot adapt to diversified beauty formulas, pushing powder enterprises to build segmented product portfolios. Leading beauty groups implement lengthy raw material certification procedures, continuously lifting dual thresholds of technology and qualification for this track.
The track boasts considerable market potential, yet objective industrial challenges exist. Silica dedicated to beauty applications enforces strict standards for production cleanliness and full-process impurity control, requiring heavy investment in production line renovation and safety certification. Established overseas powder suppliers have engaged in beauty raw materials for years with abundant mature formula data. Numerous small and medium powder manufacturers lack testing capabilities for daily chemical formulas and suffer unstable batch performance, making it difficult to access formal beauty supply chains. Low-cost substandard powder circulating in the market may trigger skin irritation and defective cosmetic finished goods, damaging the overall reputation of the industry.
The differentiated supply-demand pattern of the industry becomes increasingly prominent. Leading enterprises mastering stable refined modification processes, complete daily chemical safety testing capacity and formula technical support achieve steady order growth. Manufacturers without clean production conditions who only produce general powder are excluded from the high-end beauty track. Brand concentration within China’s beauty industry keeps rising, and procurement orders keep converging to upstream raw material suppliers with stable quality control and complete certifications.
Industrial research institutes predict that the clean beauty market will keep expanding in the next three years. Demand for color cosmetics and sunscreen products will grow steadily, and the market scale of cosmetic-grade functional silica will maintain an upward trend. Products in this track feature high added value and sustainable consumer demand. It serves as a vital direction for silica manufacturers to escape homogeneous competition in traditional sectors and make layout in high-end daily chemical new materials.
In the long run, developing high-purity silica for color cosmetics and skincare helps domestic silicon-based powder enterprises accelerate import substitution of fine daily chemical fillers. Domestic silica manufacturers shall continuously optimize clean production processes including deep purification and surface modification, and complete global compliance certifications for cosmetic raw materials. Strengthen upstream and downstream collaborative R&D with beauty research enterprises, iterate functional powder fillers suitable for new-generation clean beauty products, and enhance the competitiveness of domestic silica in the global daily chemical raw material industrial chain.