Colourants 101

Exposure to colour additives and dyes is a 24-hour experience - they are found in most everyday products such as soap, skin cream, shampoo, conditioners, shaving cream, toothpaste, body lotions, and makeup (including lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, face powders and more).

A colour additive is any dye, pigment or substance that can impart color when added or applied to a food, drug, and cosmetic (FD&C), in drugs and cosmetics (D&C) and in externally applied drugs and cosmetics which do not come in contact with mucous membranes (Ext. D&C).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists approved colourants in two categories: certified FD&C and D&C colours and colours exempt from certification.

Natural colour additives are classified by the FDA as Exempt from Certification:

Colours that are exempt from certification are primarily obtained from mineral, plant, or animal sources.
There are 28 such natural colours permitted for use in cosmetics.
These colours come directly from plants or animals such as seeds (annatto), roots (tumeric), vegetables (red cabbage, beet juice), algae (beta carotene), insects (carmine), fruits (grape juice), etc.
Natural colourants widely used in cosmetics like alkanet, annatto, carotene, chlorophyll, cochineal, saffron and turmeric.
"Natural" is defined as being directly from living plants or animals, colour additives which are derived from the earth would not be considered "Natural".
"Inorganic" are non-living mineral pigments such as iron oxides (browns, blacks, reds, etc.), ultramarines, chromium oxide green, and a variety of whites such as titanium dioxide.

Artificial colors additives are classified by the FDA as Certified FD&C and D&C colours:

Derived primarily from petroleum and are sometimes known as "coal-tar dyes" or "synthetic-organic" colours.
Labeled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a colour and a number. Example: FD&C Red No. 6 or D&C Green No. 6.
Colouring ability is more intense than most colours derived from natural products and is more stable; provide better colour uniformity and blend together easily to provide a wide range of hues.
Check out Colour Additives Approved for Use in Cosmetics.
Certification in regard to these coal tar pigments only regulates the amount of metallic impurities from lead and arsenic, and is not intended to protect the public from toxic synthetic chemicals.
Contributor to skin irritations and contact dermatitis.
Believed to be cancer-causing agents and have been found to cause cancer in animals - although these are related to very high concentrations over long periods of use. Most artificial colorants have not yet been tested for cancer risk.

Look for these worrying synthetic colourants:

FD&C Yellow 5 FD&C Yellow 6 D&C Red 33	Potential to cause allergic reactions Impurities have been shown to cause cancer when applied to the skin.
D&C Orange No. 5 D&C Red No.27	Photosensitivity and cheilitis (dermatitis-like that makes lips crack, dry and inflamed)
FD&C Blue 1 FD &C Green FD&C Citris Red No.2	Are carcinogenic Shown to cause tumours at site of injection in animals
FD&C Red No.40	Most widely used colourings Made from a base that is known to be carcinogenic