Titanium dioxide is a titanium oxide with the formula TiO2. A naturally occurring oxide sourced from ilmenite, rutile and anatase, it has a wide range of applications. It has a role as a food colouring.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), also known as E171 in our food, is very commonly used as a white colourant in food, but also in paints, coatings, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and even in toothpaste.
itanium dioxide works as a UV filtering ingredient in sunscreen – it helps protect a person's skin by blocking absorption of the sun's ultraviolet light that can cause sunburn and is also linked to skin cancer.
In the pharmaceutical industry, titanium dioxide is used in most sunscreens to block UVA and UVB rays, similar to zinc oxide. It is also commonly used as pigment for pharmaceutical products such as gelatin capsules, tablet coatings and syrups.