CI 42090 [1][2][3] ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a water-soluble synthetic colorant used to give products a blue shade or to adjust the final color of a formula. It is used for appearance only, not skin conditioning or preservation.
What does CI 42090 [1][2][3] do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a water-soluble synthetic colorant used to give products a blue shade or to adjust the final color of a formula. It is used for appearance only, not skin conditioning or preservation.
Is CI 42090 [1][2][3] clean?
Clean beauty programs often flag or exclude this ingredient because it is a synthetic color additive with batch-certification and trace-impurity considerations. It is permitted in regulated conventional cosmetics when it meets applicable purity specifications and use rules.
Is CI 42090 [1][2][3] sustainable?
This material is typically made from petrochemical feedstocks through synthetic dye chemistry. It is water-soluble but not a strong biodegradability fit, and colored wastewater controls matter during manufacturing.
Is CI 42090 [1][2][3] COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted in COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic formulations because it is a synthetic petrochemical dye rather than a permitted mineral or nature-derived colorant. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak due to nonrenewable feedstocks, sulfonated aromatic chemistry, and limited biodegradability.
How does CI 42090 [1][2][3] work chemically?
The molecule is an anionic, sulfonated triarylmethane dye supplied as a salt, which makes it highly water-soluble and effective at very low color-adjustment levels. It is generally stable across typical cosmetic pH ranges, but shade intensity can shift with formula concentration, ionic strength, and interactions with cationic ingredients.
Last updated 2026-05-13