Fig. 2. SEM micrograph and EDS map of the same area of a vitaminB2@P25TiO₂NPs.

When asked about the recent Skittles lawsuit, the FDA said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

Because of its unique pigment and fine-milled texture, titanium dioxide has become popular over the past century in a wide variety of different products. These include adhesives, paints, plastics, rubbers, textiles, inks, ceramics, and even some pharmaceuticals, foods, and hygiene products.

There are many ways we’re exposed to titanium dioxide in our everyday life. Below are the most common ways we encounter titanium dioxide. 

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are commonly found in a wide-range of consumer goods, including cosmetics, sunscreens, paints and colorings, ceramics, glass, textiles, construction materials, medicine, food, food packaging, and more. In Europe, cosmetic companies are required to label products that contain nanoparticles. In the U.S., companies are not.

Currently, titanium dioxide as a food additive is classified as GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe.” 

JECFA also evaluated estimates of dietary exposure to titanium dioxide, estimating the maximum 95^th percentile of exposure to be 10 mg/kg BW per day. Overall, considering the low oral absorption of titanium dioxide as a food additive, the committee reaffirmed the ADI “not specified” that was established at the 13^th meeting.

Some consumer advocacy groups and health agencies — particularly, those at the Environmental Working Group — have been pushing federal officers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider their existing rules on the additive, which is commonly found in processed snacks and sweets.

Price Dynamics. The Titanium Dioxide price in United States decreased during December 2018 to 2,770 USD per metric ton, which represents a decline of 7% compared to the previous month’s value. On a year-over-year basis, Titanium Dioxide prices in United States remained constant . Meanwhile, in Germany, the average price of Titanium Dioxide amounted to 3,720 USD per metric ton, from 3,460 USD per metric ton one year earlier. On a month-over-month basis, the Titanium Dioxide price in Germany is 11% higher than the price one month before.

The FDA has not updated its general guidance on safety assessments since 2007. Within that time, there has been a significant increase in research on the confluence of toxicology, nanotechnology and human health. The EU updates its guidance regularly with new science available to offer proper safety assessments, with its most recent update published in 2021.

JECFA previously assessed titanium dioxide at its 13^th meeting, at which time the expert committee assigned a “not specified” ADI for the additive due to an absence of significant absorption and a lack of toxicological effects in the available experimental animal and human studies. Since its original evaluation by JECFA, titanium dioxide has become a public point of contention, with its ban being introduced (and then subsequently withdrawn) in California legislation in 2023, a legal battle playing out in the EU over the additive’s ban and classification as a carcinogen in 2022, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) calling titanium dioxide unsafe. However, supporters of titanium dioxide say that claims about its dangers are founded in unreliable studies, and some recent research has supported its safety as a food additive.