Cosmetic colorant

These ingredients add color to the product or adjust its shade, making the formula more attractive and recognizable. They can stain the very mass of the product, leave a decorative color on the skin, lips, eyelids or nails, and in some products they can also affect the shade of hair. At the same time, their main task is usually not care, but visual: to improve the appearance of the product, mask the natural color of the raw materials or create the desired decorative effect. The FDA defines color additives as dyes, pigments, and other substances capable of imparting color to a product or body, and the use of such substances in cosmetics is regulated and allowed only for approved variants and applications. (fda.gov)

In cosmetics, this group includes both soluble dyes and insoluble pigments. Soluble versions often give a more uniform shade in gels, shampoos, or liquid formulas, while pigments provide opacity, color density, and decorative effect in foundation products, eye shadow, and lipsticks. A shade can be both a purely aesthetic element and part of the perception of texture: for example, white, beige or pastel color makes the cream visually more "soft", and a bright tone helps to distinguish products from each other. Typical examples include Carmine and CI 77491, both used to create red and pink shades in decorative cosmetics; Carmine is listed by the FDA among the approved dyes for cosmetics. (fda.gov)

It is important to understand that the safety of such components depends not only on the substance itself, but also on where exactly it is used: different restrictions may apply to the eye area, lips or external application. Therefore, the same dye is not suitable for every formula. In consumer cosmetics, this means that a well-chosen dye is primarily responsible for the appearance of the product and the stability of the shade, rather than for moisturizing or restoring skin and hair. (fda.gov)