When used as a base or colorant in a product, titanium dioxide becomes handy in formulas meant to offer a lot of brightness and opacity. Titanium dioxide is so pigmented, in fact, that it’s used not only in white and pastel-colored products but also in darker shades, as well.

TiO₂ comes in many different forms. However, only a few of these forms are considered food-grade (acceptable to be added to food). Many studies that raised concern about the safety of TiO₂, including the concern for genotoxicity, used forms of TiO₂ that are not considered acceptable for use in food and have different properties than food-grade TiO₂. Other studies did use food-grade TiO₂, but took steps to break the material down into smaller particles than what would normally be found in food.