CI 26100 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient functions as an oil-soluble synthetic red colorant, mainly used to tint lip, cheek, nail, and other anhydrous or oil-rich products.
What does CI 26100 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient functions as an oil-soluble synthetic red colorant, mainly used to tint lip, cheek, nail, and other anhydrous or oil-rich products.
Is CI 26100 clean?
Clean-beauty programs often flag this ingredient because it is a synthetic dye with petroleum-derived chemistry and color-additive purity requirements. It is regulated through approved colorant lists, but it is not usually considered a low-friction clean-standard ingredient.
Is CI 26100 sustainable?
This material is made from petrochemical aromatic intermediates through multi-step dye synthesis. It is not readily biodegradable in the way many simple plant-derived cosmetic ingredients are, and synthetic azo dyes can add wastewater-management burden during manufacture.
Is CI 26100 COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards. Its fit with Green Chemistry is weak because it relies on nonrenewable feedstocks, multi-step synthesis, and limited biodegradability.
How does CI 26100 work chemically?
The molecule is a hydrophobic bis-azo naphthol dye with extended conjugation, which gives strong red coloration and better solubility in oils than in water. Colorants are usually used at very low levels, often well below 1%, and performance depends on full solubilization or uniform dispersion in the oil phase.
Last updated 2026-05-13