D&C Red No. 33 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to give formulas a red to pink shade. It is mainly used in water-based products where a soluble dye is needed rather than an insoluble pigment.
What does D&C Red No. 33 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to give formulas a red to pink shade. It is mainly used in water-based products where a soluble dye is needed rather than an insoluble pigment.
Is D&C Red No. 33 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient has friction because it is a synthetic, batch-certified color additive with impurity specifications rather than a minimally processed cosmetic raw material. It is not usually a major irritation driver at colorant use levels, but many clean standards restrict or exclude this class of colorants.
Is D&C Red No. 33 sustainable?
This material is typically made through synthetic chemical processing from petrochemical-derived aromatic building blocks. It is water-soluble, but synthetic dyes can raise wastewater-treatment concerns because color can persist visually even at low concentrations.
Is D&C Red No. 33 COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards, which generally permit selected mineral pigments and naturally derived colorants rather than this type of synthetic dye. Its Green Chemistry profile is limited by non-renewable feedstocks and specialized synthesis, although regulated purity specifications help control quality.
How does D&C Red No. 33 work chemically?
This compound is a water-soluble, anionic monoazo colorant with sulfonate groups that improve dispersion in aqueous systems. It is used at very low shade-adjusting levels, often well below 1%, and formulators account for possible color shifts under strong oxidizing or reducing conditions and at extreme pH.
Last updated 2026-05-15