Method for providing a composition selected from the group consisting of aqueous pastes, inks, paints and coating formulations with retroreflective properties, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation without retroreflective properties, said aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation having a viscosity η 1 of between 0.25 and 1000 Pa·s at a shear rate of 0.01 s -1; b) providing an aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition having a first viscosity η 2 at a shear rate of 0.01 s -1 of between 5 and 250 Pa·s and a second viscosity η 3 at a shear rate of 100 s -1 that is between 10 and 1000 times lower than the first viscosity η 2, wherein the aqueous pseudoplastic gel consists of, based on the total weight of the aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition: • 15 - 39.85 wt.% of water; • 60 - 80 wt.% of spherical glass beads having a median particle diameter D50, as measured with laser diffraction, between 5 and 1500 μm, and a refractive index, measured at a wavelength λ of 589 nm, between 1.8 and 2.8, wherein optionally at least part of the spherical glass beads are hemispherically coated with a light-reflective coating; • 0.15 - 2.5 wt.% of a thickener; and • 0 - 5 wt.% of one or more further ingredients; c) admixing the aqueous ink, paint or coating formulation provided in step (a) with the aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition provided in step (b) in a weight ratio of between 30: 70 to 70: 30; and d) admixing the mixture obtained in step (c) with 0 - 2 wt.%, based on the total weight of the aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation with retroreflective properties, of a thickener, to provide an aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation with retroreflective properties, wherein the viscosities η 1, η 2 and η 3 are measured with a rheometer with a plate-plate geometry and a gap distance of 0.5 mm at a temperature of 25 °C. a) providing an aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation without retroreflective properties, said aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation having a viscosity η 1 of between 0.25 and 1000 Pa·s at a shear rate of 0.01 s -1; b) providing an aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition having a first viscosity η 2 at a shear rate of 0.01 s -1 of between 5 and 250 Pa·s and a second viscosity η 3 at a shear rate of 100 s -1 that is between 10 and 1000 times lower than the first viscosity η 2, wherein the aqueous pseudoplastic gel consists of, based on the total weight of the aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition: • 15 - 39.85 wt.% of water; • 60 - 80 wt.% of spherical glass beads having a median particle diameter D50, as measured with laser diffraction, between 5 and 1500 μm, and a refractive index, measured at a wavelength λ of 589 nm, between 1.8 and 2.8, wherein optionally at least part of the spherical glass beads are hemispherically coated with a light-reflective coating; • 0.15 - 2.5 wt.% of a thickener; and • 0 - 5 wt.% of one or more further ingredients; • 15 - 39.85 wt.% of water; • 60 - 80 wt.% of spherical glass beads having a median particle diameter D50, as measured with laser diffraction, between 5 and 1500 μm, and a refractive index, measured at a wavelength λ of 589 nm, between 1.8 and 2.8, wherein optionally at least part of the spherical glass beads are hemispherically coated with a light-reflective coating; • 0.15 - 2.5 wt.% of a thickener; and • 0 - 5 wt.% of one or more further ingredients; c) admixing the aqueous ink, paint or coating formulation provided in step (a) with the aqueous pseudoplastic gel composition provided in step (b) in a weight ratio of between 30: 70 to 70: 30; and d) admixing the mixture obtained in step (c) with 0 - 2 wt.%, based on the total weight of the aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation with retroreflective properties, of a thickener, to provide an aqueous paste, ink, paint or coating formulation with retroreflective properties,