Color Measurement and Pigment Testing

This chapter provides the qualitative and quantitative ways to measure the differences among batches of pigments and deals with the principles of and methods used to test pigments for use in decorative cosmetics. It addresses the quality control of incoming batches of color additives, as opposed to the evaluation of colors for specific formulations. The chapter presents three basic test methods that can be employed to evaluate batches of colored pigments before they are used in production, as well as one for the specialty dyes and one that is not recommended at all. These methods are: castor oil evaluation, talc evaluation, and nitrocellulose evaluation. All of the displays described far are basically designed for judging color differences qualitatively, using the human eye as the measurement device. The chapter discusses a slightly different display preparation. One of the most influential organizations in the development of today’s color measurement systems has been the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage.