Following a request for assessment in 2020 by the EU, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed E171, particularly for its genotoxicity. In 2022, the agency deemed the food additive no longer safe for use.  

Still, in 2016 Skittles publicly declared it would get rid of the chemical compound in its products, according to a press release at the time from the Center for Food Safety, which called the substance harmful and potentially poisonous. But the ingredient remains, according to the lawsuit, which alleges the candy company is misleading consumers by not having eliminated titanium dioxide.

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China is at the forefront of the titanium dioxide industry, with manufacturers like Lomon producing high-quality products such as R996 grade titanium dioxide for the paint industry. Titanium dioxide is a crucial ingredient in paint production, as it provides opacity, brightness, and UV protection to the finished product.

5.It is widely used in the paint industry to improve the durability of curing of zinc-white coatings and to prepare various color paints.

Neutral White, 26 per cent zinc sulphide, 66 per cent barium sulphate, 5 per cent infusorial earth, 3 per cent whiting.

Titanium dioxide goes into many industrial and consumer products. It makes paper white and bright, it keeps plastics and rubber soft and flexible, and helps remove harmful emissions from car exhaust, among many other uses. In the drug industry, it's a key ingredient in pill capsules and tablet coatings to keep the medicine inside from being affected by sunlight. 

It's hard to determine the total amount of food products that have titanium dioxide because federal regulations don't require all producers to list its use on ingredient labels, but the list of foods containing the substance certainly doesn't end with Skittles.

The additive goes into a lot of personal care products to whiten and brighten colors and to make them opaque, like toothpaste and makeup.

Lomon, one of the leading titanium dioxide manufacturers in China, produces the R996 grade titanium dioxide with purity levels exceeding 99%. This high purity ensures that the pigment provides excellent hiding power and color retention in paints, making it a popular choice for the paint industry.