Variations of titanium dioxide are added to enhance the whiteness of paint, plastics, and paper products, though these variations differ from the food-grade ones for things we eat (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

Skittles has been making headlines in recent weeks and not because a new flavor has been added to the popular taste the rainbow candy.

Among the raw materials for coating production, titanium dioxide is more ideal, followed by lithopone. The covering power of lithopone is only that of titanium dioxide, and the price of lithopone is much lower than that of titanium dioxide, so lithopone still occupies a large market share.

Relative Density Among commonly used white pigments, lithopone has the smallest relative density. Among white pigments of the same mass, titanium dioxide has the largest surface area and the highest pigment volume.

A 2012 study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology noted that children are especially exposed to titanium dioxide because of the food that contains the food additive and is particularly marketed to children, including candy and cakes.