Titanium Dioxide is no longer considered safe as a food additive

In this Article (Index)

• What is Titanium Dioxide
• Where is it used in food and cosmetics
• Banned in the EU
• Allowed in the US
• Endocrine Disruptive Effects
• Maternal and animal milk tainted with TiO₂

What is Titanium Dioxide?

Titanium dioxide occurs naturally in certain rocks, as ores in different crystalline morphologies called anatase, rutile, and brookite. The ores are processed into a white pigment that is used in the coatings industry, in plastics, and resins. It replaced lead oxides, formerly used to provide white color to pains and polymers. Lead, as a heavy metal is highly toxic. It is also more potent, allowing its use in lower concentrations to obtain the same brightening-whitening effecgt.

Titanium dioxide is considered inert, but when incorporated into foods or pharmaceutical products, and in small particle sizes (nanoparticles) under 100 nanometers in size, they become more chemically active, and can have negative health effects.

Where is it found in food and drugs?

Titanium dioxide is used to give food a whiter and brighter appearance, it also enhances other colors.

It is found in soups, broths, sauces, bread, pastry, sandwich spreads, processed nuts, candies, chewing gum, sweets, non-dairy creamers, carbonated water, dairy products like cheeses, ice cream, among others.

It is used in pharmaceutical pills and capsules as an excipient, in toohtpaste, and in cosmetics (lotions, makeup, creams).

Banned in the EU

Titanium dioxide, known in the industry as E171 (that is how it appears on Food Ingredient labels in places where it has not yet been banned), was no longer considered safe when used as a food additive by the European Food Safety Agency in May 2021. The Agency wrote an "opinion" confirming that " there was no general toxicity to organs, as well as no effects on reproductive and developmental toxicity but noted that it could not rule out genotoxicity based on tests on TiO2 nanomaterials. Genotoxicity tests are commonly conducted to determine if a chemical can interact with or damage DNA, potentially causing cancer."(1)

Allowed in the US

The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not concerned about titanium dioxide. Its website tells us that "The FDA allows for the safe use of TiO2 as a color additive in foods according to the specifications and conditions, including that the quantity of titanium does not exceed 1% by weight of the food, as stated in FDA regulations (21 CFR 73.575). In foods that contain TiO2, it will appear on the ingredients label as either “artificial color” or “colored with titanium dioxide”, though it is not required to be listed".(2)

Endocrine Disruptive Effects

Research published in August 2024 (3) reported several negative health effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

They found that exposure to these particles alter the blood sugar levels in mice, they also modify the gut hormone levels, they cause lesions in the cells that line the intestines.

The outcome was a higher level of blood sugars linked to the damage caused by the particles to the lining of the gut. This impacted on certain gut hormones like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY) and cholecystokinin (CCK), reducing them.

This supports prior research that suggests a link between food additives such as titanium dioxide and the increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (obesity, higher glucose levels, cardiovascular disease risk) in humans.

Other studies hav shown that TiO₂ particles promote inflammation by increasing the presence of pro-inflammatory proteins such as TNF-α, and IL-1.

Humans and animals ingest trillions of titanium dioxide nanoparticles daily, and they are in contact with the gut, where they are uptaken. Oral ingestion through food, medicine, toothpase, dermal contact through cosmetics, and inhalation from particles in the air are the main routes by which titanium dioxide nanoparticles enter the body.

Maternal and animal milk tainted with TiO₂

A paper published on July 23, 2025(4) reported the presence of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in 100% of milk samples obtained from lactating women and animals (cows, goats, and donkeys). They found it in 83% of the infant formulas they tested.

These particles pass through the mammary glands and are uptaken by babies and newborn animals. Exposing newborn babies until they are weaned, and then later, through drinking regular or baby-formula milk.

Adults are also exposed when they drink milk.

Further research is necessary to identify the routes by which the titanium dioxide makes its way into the mammary glands of women and animals.