View example sentences and word forms for Brightener.
Brightener meaning
One who or that which brightens. | A chemical agent that absorbs ultraviolet and violet light and re-emits blue light by fluorescence, used to make fabric or paper look whiter. | Any substance added to an electrolytic bath to yield a brighter electroplated surface.
Example sentences (6)
Approximately 400 brightener types are listed in the Colour Index, but fewer than 90 are produced commercially, and only a handful are commercially important.
A white surface treated with an optical brightener can emit more visible light than that which shines on it, making it appear brighter.
Excess brightener will often cause a greening effect as emissions start to show above the blue region in the visible spectrum.
One application is to formulas for washing and conditioning grey or blonde hair, where the brightener can not only increase the luminance and sparkle of the hair, but can also correct dull, yellowish discoloration without darkening the hair.
Some advanced face and eye powders contain optical brightener microspheres that brighten shadowed or dark areas of the skin, such as "tired eyes".
The blue light emitted by the brightener compensates for the diminishing blue of the treated material and changes the hue away from yellow or brown and toward white.