Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Color and makeup natural coloring in lipstick

  • EVchem

    Member
    August 20, 2018 at 5:16 pm

    Depends on where you are  located/selling and the level of risk you are willing to take. If you are using the product only to color the lipstick, then it is a color additive and those are controlled by the FDA and there are only a few accepted natural colors and here they are .

    However, if the bark is an extract that has any skin moisturizing benefits, then that is what you are using the ingredient for in your formulation.

  • oldperry

    Member
    August 20, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    If you are using the ingredient as a colorant, then you can’t use it. The fact that it has some skin moisturizing as a side benefit doesn’t make it ok to use it when the main intent is to use it as a colorant.

  • shrush

    Member
    August 20, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    Thanks for answering Perry. In rural parts of asia it is widely used as teeth cleaner  and lip stainer by women. PubMed published papers to prove its anti microbial properties and hair coloring ( that disapproves its use). Used in wool industry to color wool brown in presence of alum. so just wondered . Thanks for clearing my doubts

  • shrush

    Member
    August 20, 2018 at 6:42 pm

    Thanks EV chem for answering. it is an aurvedic approved teeth cleaing herb. so pretty much approved in asia under Unani and aurvedic medicine grade.

  • oldperry

    Member
    August 20, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    The FDA is pretty strict about colorants. It’s actually one of the main reasons cosmetics became regulated in the first place. 

  • EVchem

    Member
    August 21, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    @Perry, very true  but I think intent is something that would be difficult to prove either way.

    As for colorant safety, I understand that’s because  traditionally pigments used were mineral-based or coal-tar  and frequent culprits of heavy metal contamination. 

    With the amount of extracts that are used in cosmetics, there are plenty that have color and none of them are subjected to certification (even the accepted FDA ‘natural’ colors are exempt from certification). And that leads me to the bigger question- Shouldn’t all cosmetic ingredients be under the same regulations to prove safety? As formulators we have an obligation to ‘prove’ our formulas are safe, but suppliers are not held to any  standard, it’s up to them to provide whatever testing the feel is necessary. Is that enough? Bit of a tangent because this has been on my mind lately.

  • oldperry

    Member
    August 21, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    @EVchem - suppliers have a motivation to ensure their ingredients are safe. Mainly because formulators rely on ingredient safety data to prove their formulas are safe. If the raw material supplier hasn’t done appropriate safety testing then no reasonable formulator will use that material.

    And if they have any hope of selling a new raw material outside the US such as in the EU, they have much more defined safety testing requirements. 

  • shrush

    Member
    August 22, 2018 at 3:43 am

    thanks for your insights. 

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    October 19, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    @shrush what colour does it stain your teeth? Why do they use it if the staining is not white?

  • shrush

    Member
    October 19, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    Dr Catherine its proved antimicrobial herb. Dried bark is used as brush to clean teeth. Quite effective.  it doesn’t stain teeth. But when you use it  mucosal skin stains..not much research has been done on it except antimicrobial activity..couldn’t find many publication but its a wool colorant in presence of alum.. can be pH related  just guessing… 

  • shrush

    Member
    October 19, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    rural women with little access to cosmetics use it …as then they don’t need lipstick for 2-3 days

  • shrush

    Member
    October 19, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    it stains lips pinkish red

  • dr-catherine-pratt

    Member
    October 19, 2018 at 11:53 pm
    @shrush-that sounds brilliant, plus it has anti-bactierial properties.
    Do you know the source of this supplier? .
    Also how long does it stain for? and if they use any other bushes to do this.
    Kind Regards CAtherine
  • Sibech

    Member
    October 20, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @shrush You have already received plenty of information on the legitimate use of the extract as a natural colourant, but you can, assuming the extract is safe, legally use it as a skin conditioning agent (you might want to find substantiation in the literature or some testing for that).

    @”Dr Catherine Pratt” The dye component of walnut bark (and other Juglanceaea plants) is juglone.

    Juglone (5-hydroxy-2,4-naphthoquinone / Natural Brown 7). The Compound is pH sensitive and turns pinkish red at neutral to alkaline pH. it can stain your lips pink, while it will stain your skin yellow.

    It relatively unstable and tends to polymerize into yellow, brown and black compounds (especially when drying leaves of walnut trees), you can also make ink from it.

  • shrush

    Member
    October 20, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    shrush said:

    it stains lips pinkish red

    @Sibech got your point of stability issue. one more thing my supplier told me is that as Persian walnut is under red category I may not get sustantial quatity of root bark for use.. thanks for helping me out.

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