(+/- Iron Oxide ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an inorganic colorant used to create red, yellow, brown, and black shades in makeup, skin care, and personal care products. It provides opaque, light-stable pigment rather than shimmer or dye-like staining.
What does (+/- Iron Oxide do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an inorganic colorant used to create red, yellow, brown, and black shades in makeup, skin care, and personal care products. It provides opaque, light-stable pigment rather than shimmer or dye-like staining.
Is (+/- Iron Oxide clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well-tolerated, inert on skin, and not a common sensitizer. The main quality focus is cosmetic-grade purity, with tight controls for trace heavy metals and other residual impurities.
Is (+/- Iron Oxide sustainable?
This material is mineral-based and commonly produced synthetically for consistency and purity, though its chemistry is also found in nature. It is not biodegradable in the organic sense, but it is stable, insoluble, and not associated with bioaccumulation concerns in cosmetic use.
Is (+/- Iron Oxide COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic products as an approved mineral colorant when it meets purity requirements. Its Green Chemistry fit is strongest on stability, low reactivity, and low use levels, and weaker on renewability because it is inorganic rather than plant-derived.
How does (+/- Iron Oxide work chemically?
It is an inorganic crystalline material whose visible shade depends on metal oxidation state, hydration, and crystal structure. Typical use ranges run from trace tinting below 1% to several percent in color cosmetics, and it is highly stable to light, heat, and normal cosmetic pH while requiring dispersion rather than dissolution.
Last updated 2026-05-13