Profile: Pigments 

The business model

Imagepicture Pigments (photo)

Merck is one of the most successful suppliers of effect pigments used to differentiate and position packaging and product design in a large number of branded products. In particular, new developments from Merck help to strengthen the brand identity of products. Not only decorative, but also security-relevant aspects, for example brand protection, are important here. First-rate service and extensive application expertise make the Pigments subdivision a strong partner, for example to the automotive industry.
 

Key products

Merck offers established and innovative effect pigments for the following applications:

  • Iriodin® mica-based pearl-luster pigments for plastics, coatings and printing inks
  • Weather-resistant pigments for automotive coatings and other outdoor applications
  • Pyrisma®: a new line of interference pigments for the coatings industry
  • Xirallic® effect pigments with attractive glitter effects
  • Colorstream® effect pigments with angle-dependent color travel
  • Optically variable, highly transparent and shimmering pigments, e.g. Xirona® and Ronastar®, for cosmetics
  • Timiron®, Colorana®: mica-based effect pigments for cosmetics
  • Functional pigments, e.g. for laser marking or solar heat reflection
  • Candurin®: food and pharmaceutical grade composite pigments.
Last update 18.02.2008, © Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany