FD & C Dyes and Their Side Effects

At some point in their lives, almost all women will have an allergic reaction to a cosmetic product. Whether the reaction is to a makeup product or a skin care product, the result is equally annoying and bothersome to deal with. In this article we will look at a common trigger for allergic reactions: the dyes used to color cosmetic products.

Written by Sarah Bertram, Green Health Research Contributor

What Are They and How Are They Used?

FD & C colors, or Food, Drug, and Cosmetic colors, are the colorants used to give any food, drug, or cosmetic product its color. However, this can be a bit misleading because the name ‘FD & C’ doesn’t necessarily mean that a certain color is allowed in all three products. For example, FD & C Red Number Four is approved for use in externally applied cosmetics, but not for use in food or drugs. There are also some colors, like FD & C Red Number Three, that are approved for use in food and ingested drugs, but not for cosmetics.

So basically, FD & C dyes can be found in most products we use every day: from the bright maraschino cherries topping sundaes to the vitamins we take to the lipstick and facial cleansers we use, we are surrounded by these chemicals.

The History and Regulation of FD & C Dyes

FD & C dyes first began to be regulated by the government under the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This act was passed in an attempt to ensure that all foods, cosmetics, and drugs sold in the United States were safe to use and did not pose any health hazards. Originally, seven dyes were listed as safe, but over time some dyes have been added and others removed as their safety was called into question.

Colors are also divided into two categories, either dyes or lakes, which define in which substances the colorant is soluble, or able to be dissolved in. Dyes are soluble in water, but do not dissolve in oil, while lake colors are more stable than dyes and are not soluble in oil. Lakes are generally used to color any product that contains a high amount of fat or oil, since they will disperse throughout the fat but will not dissolve into it.