Provided is an oil-in-water emulsion composition that exhibits excellent blending stability with a metal oxide powder and excellent uniform coating properties, that sinks well into skin, that spreads and stays in a suitable manner, that exhibits minimal stickiness and sliminess, that exhibits good usability and excellent stability over time, and that has a high moisturizing effect. The oil-in-water emulsion composition comprises the following components (A)-(C): (A) a polyoxyethylene alkyl or an alkenyl ether in which the carbon number of an alkyl group or an alkenyl group is 20-24 and the average added mole number of ethylene oxide is 1.5-4； (B) a liquid oil； (C) a metal oxide powder comprising hydrophobized fine particles.本發明所提供的水中油型乳化組成物，係金屬氧化物粉末的安定摻合性優異，且均勻塗佈性優異、對皮膚的收斂佳、擴散與附著性佳、經抑制沾黏感與摩擦感、且使用性佳、經時安定性優異、保濕效果高。本發明的水中油型乳化組成物係含有下述(A)~(C)成分：(A)烷基或烯基之碳數為20以上且24以下，環氧乙烷之平均加成莫耳數為1.5以上且4以下的聚氧乙烯烷基或烯基醚；(B)液狀油；(C)疏水化處理微粒子金屬氧化物粉末。
