Compared to traditional light-absorbing organic and inorganic pigments and light-reflecting metallic pigments, pearlescent powder operates on a completely different principle, primarily as an interference pigment. Pearlescent inks made from pearlescent powder not only produce a pearlescent effect, but also retain the original color tone and offer a variety of metallic and iridescent effects.

Pearlescent powder is a translucent, micro-platelet-shaped pigment that produces a pearlescent effect. It includes natural pearlescent powder, synthetic pearlescent powder, composite pearlescent powder, and composite-coated pearlescent powder. Originally, it was a natural product ground from fish scales. Due to the high cost of extracting and producing pearlescent powder, it is now rarely used. Later, chemical methods were used to produce pigments with similar pearlescent effects, even brighter than those produced from fish scales. Examples include synthetic pearlescent powder made from basic lead carbonate and bismuth oxychloride, and composite pearlescent powder made from CO2 melts and crystallized from fatty acid glycol esters and aliphatic compounds.

Composite-coated pearlescent powder has become a popular choice due to its rich colors, low cost, and non-toxicity. Research and production began in the early 1950s. It utilizes the adsorption of metal compounds onto the surface of non-metallic mica, creating a pearlescent effect through light refraction and diffraction. Depending on the thickness of the coating applied to the mica or other materials, pearlescent powder can produce a variety of colors, including rainbow, silvery white, gold, and iron-mica. Mica flakes coated with titanium dioxide are the most widely used pearlescent powder today. This type of pearlescent powder differs from other common pigments in that it emits pearlescent luster through the reflection and refraction of light. Each powder size ranges from 31 to 150 microns. After these powders are sorted by size, titanium dioxide is chemically coated onto their surface to form a smooth, transparent, and odorless wafer. The reflection and refraction of light creates a dazzling pearlescent luster and rainbow illusion. The color difference visible to the naked eye is significantly related to the thickness of the titanium dioxide coating. If the thickness of the mica chip is increased, the chip will produce a variety of color effects, such as from soft silk white to vivid rainbow colors.