Purpose This study aims to the effect of NaF, Li2CO3 and H3BO3 minerals was investigated, and the best mineralizer was found to be H3BO3. Furthermore, the effect of temperature was investigated, and the synthesized samples were calcined at temperatures of 1100, 1200 and 1300 °C to select the optimum calcination temperature. Design/methodology/approach This study was aimed at thoroughly investigating the effects of mineralizer addition and temperature on the synthesis of malayaite pink pigment based on raw materials of SnCl2-SiO2-Ca(OH)2-K2Cr2O7. To this end, the optimization of the synthesis parameters such as mineralizer addition and temperature was completely perused. Findings The optimum temperature was 1300 °C, and the color efficiency of pigments was evaluated by colorimetric (CIE L*a*b* system) analysis, and these parameters were close to those of industrial pigments. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, the effect of mineralizer addition and temperature on the synthesis of malayaite pink pigment was investigated through the sol-gel method. Herein, different parameters were optimized to propose a novel pigment with a much better performance.