Iron Oxide CI 77499 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a black mineral colorant used to deepen shade, build opacity, and create definition in makeup, hair color products, and tinted skin products. It is especially common in mascaras, eyeliners, brow products, and complexion shades.
What does Iron Oxide CI 77499 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a black mineral colorant used to deepen shade, build opacity, and create definition in makeup, hair color products, and tinted skin products. It is especially common in mascaras, eyeliners, brow products, and complexion shades.
Is Iron Oxide CI 77499 clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks generally treat this ingredient as acceptable and low-irritation when cosmetic-grade purity standards are met. The main quality-control issue is trace heavy-metal contamination, which is managed through regulated specifications and supplier testing.
Is Iron Oxide CI 77499 sustainable?
This material is inorganic and may come from mineral refining or controlled synthesis, so it is not renewable in the same way plant-derived inputs are. It is not biodegradable, but it is highly stable, insoluble, and typically used at low levels in finished formulas.
Is Iron Oxide CI 77499 COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic as an approved mineral colorant when purity and contaminant limits are met, though it does not contribute organic content. From a Green Chemistry perspective, it scores well for durability, low reactivity, and low use levels, but less well for renewability.
How does Iron Oxide CI 77499 work chemically?
The molecule is an insoluble, mixed-valence inorganic pigment with very high color strength and strong stability across normal cosmetic pH ranges. Use can range from below 1% for shade adjustment to several percent or more in color cosmetics, and dispersion quality is more important than dissolution because it remains particulate.
Last updated 2026-05-13