kaolin

Kaolin is a mixture consisting principally of the mineral kaolinite and containing varying amounts of other minerals such as muscovite, quartz, feldspar, and anatase. Also known as china clay, kaolin is a soft white clay that is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of china and porcelain and is widely used in the making of paper, rubber, paint, drying agents, and many other products. It has a role as an excipient and an antidiarrhoeal drug. It contains a kaolinite. For cosmetics and skincare uses, kaolin clay has some important detoxifying and stimulating effects. The clay is a gentle cleanser for any skin type, extracting impurities and absorbing excess oils without causing inflammation or redness. Many people use it to purify their pores or treat acne and breakouts. Kaolin is white because is is a primary clay. That means it has not weathered and washed down somewhere picking up iron oxide in the environment. It is relatively high in alumina and thus refractory and fires to a very high temperature. Kaolin is one of the two important ingredients for porcelain clay bodies.