Copper aluminum silicate is an inorganic chemical compound used in various sectors, including cosmetics, ceramics, and painting. 

The name describes the structure of the molecule:

• Silicate refers to silicates, a class of minerals that contain silicon and oxygen, often in combination with other elements.
• Copper Aluminum indicates that the silicate in question contains copper and aluminum in its structure. This combination of elements gives the compound unique properties, such as coloring, strength, and stability.

Raw Materials and Their Functions

Copper, Aluminum, and Silicon. Elements that, when combined, form copper aluminum silicate. Each of these elements contributes to specific physical and chemical properties of the final compound.

Industrial Chemical Synthesis of Copper Aluminum Silicate

• Combination and Melting the combination of minerals containing copper, aluminum, and silicon. These materials are then melted together at high temperatures to form copper aluminum silicate.
• Reaction Control. The melting reaction is monitored to ensure that the combination of minerals occurs correctly and the final product has the desired properties.
• Cooling and Crushing. After melting, the compound is cooled and then crushed into a powder to facilitate its use in various applications.
• Quality Control. Copper aluminum silicate undergoes quality checks to ensure it meets the required standards. After quality control, it is packaged for use as a pigment in cosmetic products, paints, and ceramic materials.

What it is used for and where

Copper aluminum silicate is used as a pigment in various products, including cosmetics, paints, and ceramic materials. In cosmetics, it proved useful for its ability to provide vibrant and bright colors, especially in eyeshadows and other makeup products. In the paint and ceramics industry, it is used for its color stability and heat resistance properties.

Form and Color

 Copper Aluminum Silicate is typically a solid in the form of powder. This compound can vary in color, often appearing in shades of blue or green depending on the specific composition and production process.

Cosmetics

Deodorant agent. When substances that give off an unpleasant odour are included in cosmetic formulations (typical examples are methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulphide derived from garlic), deodorants attenuate or eliminate the unpleasant exhalation.

Safety

Aluminium can interfere with different biological processes (cellular oxidative stress, calcium metabolism, etc.), so it can induce toxic effects in different organs and systems, and the nervous system is the main target of its toxicity.

Careful consideration should be given to the risk of cumulative aluminum intake, which cannot be ruled out because this ingredient can be found in both cosmetic products and widely consumed food products such as bread, various baked goods (1).

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Tietz, T., Lenzner, A., Kolbaum, A.E. et al. Aggregated aluminium exposure: risk assessment for the general population. Arch Toxicol 93, 3503–3521 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02599-z

 Abstract. Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in earth’s crust and its manifold uses result in an exposure of the population from many sources. Developmental toxicity, effects on the urinary tract and neurotoxicity are known effects of aluminium and its compounds. Here, we assessed the health risks resulting from total consumer exposure towards aluminium and various aluminium compounds, including contributions from foodstuffs, food additives, food contact materials (FCM), and cosmetic products. For the estimation of aluminium contents in foodstuff, data from the German “Pilot-Total-Diet-Study” were used, which was conducted as part of the European TDS-Exposure project. These were combined with consumption data from the German National Consumption Survey II to yield aluminium exposure via food for adults. It was found that the average weekly aluminium exposure resulting from food intake amounts to approx. 50% of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg body weight (bw)/week, derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). For children, data from the French “Infant Total Diet Study” and the “Second French Total Diet Study” were used to estimate aluminium exposure via food. As a result, the TWI can be exhausted or slightly exceeded—particularly for infants who are not exclusively breastfed and young children relying on specially adapted diets (e.g. soy-based, lactose free, hypoallergenic). When taking into account the overall aluminium exposure from foods, cosmetic products (cosmetics), pharmaceuticals and FCM from uncoated aluminium, a significant exceedance of the EFSA-derived TWI and even the PTWI of 2 mg/kg bw/week, derived by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, may occur. Specifically, high exposure levels were found for adolescents aged 11–14 years. Although exposure data were collected with special regard to the German population, it is also representative for European and comparable to international consumers. From a toxicological point of view, regular exceedance of the lifetime tolerable aluminium intake (TWI/PTWI) is undesirable, since this results in an increased risk for health impairments. Consequently, recommendations on how to reduce overall aluminium exposure are given.

Wong, W.W., Chung, S.W., Kwong, K.P., Yin Ho, Y. and Xiao, Y., 2010. Dietary exposure to aluminium of the Hong Kong population. Food Additives and Contaminants, 27(4), pp.457-463.

Bratakos, S.M., Lazou, A.E., Bratakos, M.S. and Lazos, E.S., 2012. Aluminium in food and daily dietary intake estimate in Greece. Food Additives and Contaminants: Part B, 5(1), pp.33-44.