A soft-focus composition comprising particles, wherein the particles comprise a substrate with a metal oxide coating; wherein the metal oxide coating covers from 50% to 75% of the surface area of the substrate; wherein the particles have a span of from 0.1 to 2.1; and wherein from 50% to 75% of the particles are platelet shaped and the remainder are at least one different shape, wherein the substrate is selected from fumed alumina, aluminum oxide, aluminum oxide hydrate, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum silicate hydroxide, barium sulfate, bismuth oxychloride, boehmite, calcium aluminum borosilicate, calcium carbonate, clay, collagen, colloidal silica, corundum, diatoms, diatomite, diatomaceous earth, gibbsite, guanine, graphite, hexagonal boron nitride, kaolin, magnesium silicate, natural and synthetic mica, micaceous iron oxide, pyrophyllite, silica, sericite, talc, and mixtures thereof, wherein the particles have a median particle size d50 from 1.0 μm to 60 μm wherein the metal oxide coating comprises a layer selected from aluminum oxide, bismuth oxide, cerium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, iron (II, III) oxide, iron oxide, magnesium silicate, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, and mixtures or alloys thereof, wherein the metal oxide coating comprises from 5% to 75% of the total particle mass, and wherein the span is calculated as (d90-d10)/d50, the value for d50 (the median particle size) being the particle size at the 50th percentile of a distribution of particle sizes, the value for d90 being the particle size at the 90th percentile of the distribution of particle sizes, the value for d10 being the particle size at the 10th percentile of the distribution of particle sizes, the distribution of particle sizes being measured using a Cilas 1064L Laser diffractometer particle sizer, wherein 100mg of the sample to be measured is dispersed in 9.9 g deionized water by sonicating for 5 minutes. wherein the metal oxide coating covers from 50% to 75% of the surface area of the substrate; wherein the particles have a span of from 0.1 to 2.1; and wherein from 50% to 75% of the particles are platelet shaped and the remainder are at least one different shape, wherein the substrate is selected from fumed alumina, aluminum oxide, aluminum oxide hydrate, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum silicate hydroxide, barium sulfate, bismuth oxychloride, boehmite, calcium aluminum borosilicate, calcium carbonate, clay, collagen, colloidal silica, corundum, diatoms, diatomite, diatomaceous earth, gibbsite, guanine, graphite, hexagonal boron nitride, kaolin, magnesium silicate, natural and synthetic mica, micaceous iron oxide, pyrophyllite, silica, sericite, talc, and mixtures thereof, wherein the particles have a median particle size d50 from 1.0 μm to 60 μm wherein the metal oxide coating comprises a layer selected from aluminum oxide, bismuth oxide, cerium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, iron (II, III) oxide, iron oxide, magnesium silicate, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, and mixtures or alloys thereof, wherein the metal oxide coating comprises from 5% to 75% of the total particle mass, and wherein the span is calculated as (d90-d10)/d50, the value for d50 (the median particle size) being the particle size at the 50th percentile of a distribution of particle sizes, the value for d90 being the particle size at the 90th percentile of the distribution of particle sizes, the value for d10 being the particle size at the 10th percentile of the distribution of particle sizes, the distribution of particle sizes being measured using a Cilas 1064L Laser diffractometer particle sizer, wherein 100mg of the sample to be measured is dispersed in 9.9 g deionized water by sonicating for 5 minutes.