Abstract: There is provided hydrophobic silica that will cause no deterioration in the gloss of resin or of a coating film even when having been applied as a wear resistance-improver or a mechanical strength enhancer for resin or as a fluidizing agent for powder paint or the like and that will cause no deterioration in the gloss of a resulting coating film even when having been applied to a defoaming agent. There is provided hydrophobic particulate wet process silica resulting from subjecting hydrophilic wet process silica to hydrophobization treatment and milling treatment. The number-average particle diameter (Dn) is 0.1 to 1 ?m and the M value is 50 to 80. The milling treatment is preferably wet milling treatment. The hydrophobization treatment is preferably wet hydrophobization treatment. The ratio of the volume-average particle diameter (Dv) to the number-average particle diameter (Dn) (Dv/Dn) is preferably 1 to 4.