This invention is directed to an effect pigment dispersion comprising a PVD-aluminum pigment, a leafing additive and an oil suitable for cosmetic skin care or color cosmetic applications, wherein a) the amount of the PVD-aluminum pigment is in a range of 8 to 30 wt.-%, b) the amount of the oil is in a range of 70 to 90 wt.-%, each based on the total weight of the effect pigment dispersion and c) the leafing additive is partly adsorbed on the surface of the PVD-aluminum pigment and partly an excess additive dissolved in the oil, wherein the amount of excess leafing additive is in a range of 0 to 25 wt.-%, based on the weight of PVD aluminum pigment. Further cosmetic skin care of color cosmetic formulations containing this effect pigment dispersion are described.

Disclosed herein is an effect pigment having a layer stack which comprises a highly reflective metallic flake having a first major interface and opposed to this first interface a second major interface, and at least one side surface and directly adjacent on one or of both of these major interfaces a layer of a semiconducting material having an average atomic composition of: a) Si.sub.(1-x)Sn.sub.x, wherein 0<x<0.90 or b) Ge.sub.(1-y)Sn.sub.y, wherein 0<y0.80 or c) Si.sub.(1-m-n)Ge.sub.mSn.sub.n, wherein 0<m<1.00, 0<n<1.00 and with the proviso that m+n<1.00.

The invention relates to anisotropic, reflective, magnetic flakes. In a liquid carrier and under influence of an external magnetic field, the flakes attract to one another side-by-side and form ribbons which provide higher reflectivity to a coating and may be used as a security feature for authentication of an object.

The present invention relates to an effect pigment comprising as a substrate a glass flake with a coating, said coating comprising at least one layer of at least one high refractive material, said material having a refractive index of at least 1.8, and/or at least one layer of at least one semitransparent metallic material, wherein said glass flakes comprising the following composition: 65-75 wt.-% silicon oxide, preferably SiO.sub.2 2-9 wt.-% aluminum oxide, preferably AI.sub.2O.sub.3 0.0-5 wt.-% calcium oxide, preferably CaO 5-12 wt.-% sodium oxide, preferably Na.sub.2O 8-15 wt.-% boron oxide, preferably B.sub.2O.sub.3 0.1-5 wt.-% titanium oxide, preferably TiO.sub.2 0.0-5 wt.-% zirconium oxide, preferably ZrO.sub.2 based on the weight of said glass flakes. The invention relates also to a method for producing the effect pigments as well as to the use of said effect pigments. The invention further relates to coating formulations based on the effect pigments.

Disclosed herein is a flaky diffractive effect pigment having a diffractive structure and comprising a flake of a highly reflective material having a first major interface and opposed to this first interface a second major interface, and at least one side surface and directly adjacent on one or of both of these major interfaces a layer of a semiconducting material having a bandgap of 0.7 to 2.5 eV. The diffractive effect pigment may be further coated with a coating which is optically non-active in the visible wavelength region.

An article including a reflector having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; a first selective light modulator layer external to the first surface of the reflector; a second selective light modulator layer external to the second surface of the reflector; a first absorber layer external to the first selective light modulator layer; and a second absorber layer external to the second selective light modulator layer; wherein each of the first and second selective light modulator layers include a host material is disclosed herein. Methods of making the article are also disclosed.

A method is provided for producing platelet-shaped pigments, including the steps of: providing a film structure which has a carrier substrate, a water-soluble release layer and a pigment material layer; mechanically disrupting the pigment material layer, which is present in the film structure, at specific locations; soaking the film structure with aqueous solution; subjecting the film structure to a mechanical force so that the pigment material layer is detached from the carrier substrate as a plurality of pigments according to the ruptures present at the specific locations.

A pigment, including a magnetizable reflector layer including an intermetallic compound, wherein the intermetallic compound is a crystal structure of at least two different elemental metals chemically bonded together is disclosed. A pigment, including a semi-transparent absorber layer including an intermetallic compound, wherein the intermetallic compound is a crystal structure of at least two different elemental metals chemically bonded together is disclosed. A method of making the pigment is also disclosed.

In some implementations, a pigment material includes an encapsulation material; and a flake structure disposed in the encapsulation material. The flake structure may include a core layer, wherein the core layer is a reflector layer, a set of metal barrier layers at least partially encapsulating the core layer, and a set of dielectric layers at least partially sandwiching the set of barrier layers.

Interference pigments based on SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with crystallites of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. Also, a process for the preparation of interference pigments that comprise SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with a crystallite of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, by a wet-chemical process in a fluidised bed, by a CVD process, by a PVD process, or by any combination of said processes. Also, the use of interference pigments based on SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with crystallites of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, in particular in paints, coatings, industrial and automobile paints, ceramic materials, plastics and cosmetic formulations.