Provided are a novel titania fine-particle composite which has high transparency, high stability, and high ultraviolet –absorbing power and excellent redispersibility, and skin-care external preparations which contain the titania fine-particle composite and exert high ultraviolet protective effect. The titania fine-particle composite can be produced by adding one or more selected from among carboxylic acids and carboxylic acid derivatives represented by general formula (1), and polymers containing the carboxylic acids or carboxylic acid derivatives as a constituent monomer to an aqueous acid dispersion of titania fine particles, and neutralizing the resulting dispersion with an alkali to form a titania fine-particle composite composed of titania fine particles functioning as cores and the carboxylic monomer or polymer deposited on the surfaces of the cores. In the titania fine-particle composite, titania fine particles functioning as cores have a high degree of crystallization and the intermolecular interaction between titania fine particles and the carboxylic monomer or polymer is strong. Therefore, the titania fine-particle composite can be uniformly dispersed in a dispersion medium to attain high transparency and high stability. Further, skin-care external preparations which exert high ultraviolet protective effect can be produced by adding the titania fine-particle composite.
