Abstract
A face beautifully made up with foundation may appear perfect to the naked eye; it will often appear unnaturally pale-white on photographs taken with flash cameras. Basically the problem is caused by poor photographic technique; however, consumers often blame their makeup for the disappointing pictures. It is a serious problem in Japan as surveys indicate that over half of all users have experienced this problem.
This photographic whitewash effect is worst when foundation is applied heavily and when the flash photograph is taken with a compact camera having small light output. By studying the spectral reflectance of faces made up with foundation, while taking into account the color-reproduction characteristics of the films, the mechanism of this effect was investigated.
This understanding of the basic mechanism allowed us to develop pseudobrookite powder by sintering the two pigments, titanium dioxide and iron oxide, to form Fe2TiO5. Incorporating this powder, we developed a new type of foundation which completely eliminated whitewash effect under all lighiting conditons.
