Teach Soap

The FDA website says color additives used in cosmetics must be approved. Some must be certified in batches, while some must just be generally approved. I checked out their list of generally approved color additives. There are hardly any of the natural colors and dyes on there. How can you use any of the natural colorants in cosmetics, then? Madder root, alkanet, chlorophyll, indigo powder, clays, paprika, saffron, sprirulina, none of these can be used! Is there a way to put them in the cosmetic without calling them a color additive? Anything can add color to a cosmetic. In soap, olive oil gives a green tint. Orange oil makes orange. Other fragrance and essential oils cause brown. Are these considered color additives? Surely it's legal to use olive oil and orange EO and discoloring fragrances in cosmetics! I'm confused by all this, does anyone know anything about this? How do those of you who sell cosmetics with natural colorants do so legally?

http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ColorAdd ... 110032.htm
http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/ColorAdd ... 115641.htm

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Olivia :)

The way I understand it is that you can use them in soap, just can't claim them as colorants.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

You don't usually claim colorants as such anyway, though, do you? How does the FDA know if your intended use is as a colorant or not?

Thanks for your help, soapbuddy!

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Olivia :)

Some people do claim them as colorants and that's where the problem comes in.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.