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Natural additve colorant(s)
Anybody in this blogspot know of a green colorant to use in creams, lotions that is not synthetic - or at least not “scary” synthetic - besides chlorophyllin Cu? Looking for Kelly green. A blue & yellow would work, but what non-synth colorant gives blue?
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10 Replies
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Here’s a list of what’s approved.
https://chemistscorner.com/natural-colors-in-cosmetics/So, Guaiazulene
Then there are all these “illegal” ones
https://formulabotanica.com/38-natural-colourants-skincare/ -
Here you go, @chemicalmatt. These are the best I have used … they do not fade over time as do most natural colorants:
http://www.campo-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Siddha-Colours.pdf
They’re distributed by Ross Organics in the US.
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@MarkBroussard - Do you have any concerns about using those ingredients since they would be illegal to use as colorants in the US per the FDA regulations? https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives-specific-products/color-additives-and-cosmetics-fact-sheet
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@Perry:
Not particularly since they are herbal extracts. Here’s a typical INCI for these ingredients:
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Lawsonia inermis (Henna) Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Extract, Mica
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I’ve also worked with the campo “extracts that happen to provide color”. Just be aware some of them can get very pricey (one was quoted to us at over $3000 a kilo!).
Personally if these get scrutiny then why not other extracts? From my understanding colorants have been regulated because they traditionally were more likely to have unsafe contaminants, or possibly break down into dangerous by-products. Every cosmetic ingredient should have to prove identity and basic safety given appropriate use so the restrictions on this one category seem odd to me
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@EVchem - it has to do with the history of the development of the FDA. The FDA was created specifically because people were being poisoned by food producers and the colorants were one of the main reasons. Manufacturers would artificially color spoiled food so as to continue to sell them. This lead to the strict regulation of colorants. Cosmetics were included because people were being blinded by colorants in their cosmetics (e.g. mercury). This lead to the development of the list of approved colorants. You can read more about it here. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/color-additives-history
It’s illegal to use extracts to provide color. Probably because there is no standard and nothing to stop an unscrupulous manufacturer from selling anything they like and calling it an extract.
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@Perry based on that history I can understand the concern, but I don’t see why in current stages colorants are treated differently from any other kind of raw material. If I purchase a colorless rosemary extract I can (and should) view the supplier’s SDS, COA, and even get it independently tested for heavy metals and such. Shouldn’t all raw materials have to prove safety in the same way?
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You would think all raw materials would have to prove safety in a similar way. Colorants don’t seem significantly more or less dangerous than other ingredients in cosmetics. But that’s just how the regulations evolved.
Regulations rarely make sense when looked at as a whole. They make more sense when you consider how things got to be the way they are.
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The other issue is that regulations often lag behind industry, sometimes for a substantial number of years or even decades without being updated to accommodate new technologies and products.
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Thanks guys - Mark & Perry - this is helpful. I have used azulene in the past, so long ago I had forgotten about it. As for regs, I always just soldier on until someone (i.e. agency, regulatory counsel, owner, brand manager) tells me to stop. An additional irony to this colorant thread: why our US FDA will not allow us to use certain natural food-grade colorants in topically applied cosmetic formulations. Go figure.
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