Red 22 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to create red, pink, and coral tones in color cosmetics and personal care formulas. It is mainly a shade-building dye rather than a skin-benefit ingredient.
What does Red 22 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to create red, pink, and coral tones in color cosmetics and personal care formulas. It is mainly a shade-building dye rather than a skin-benefit ingredient.
Is Red 22 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it carries more friction than mineral or plant-derived colorants because it is a synthetic, regulated color additive that typically requires batch certification. It may be restricted by some retailer standards, especially in products used near the lips or eyes.
Is Red 22 sustainable?
This material is synthetically produced from petrochemical feedstocks rather than renewable botanical or mineral sources. As a halogenated dye molecule, it is not a strong fit for biodegradability-focused standards and may persist more than simple, readily biodegradable ingredients.
Is Red 22 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic colorant expectations, which favor approved mineral pigments and nature-derived color sources. Its petrochemical origin, synthetic dye chemistry, and limited biodegradability make it a weak fit with Green Chemistry principles.
How does Red 22 work chemically?
This compound is an anionic synthetic dye with a highly conjugated aromatic structure, which gives strong visible color at very low use levels. Performance depends on solubility, salt form, substrate, and pH, and formulators often use lake versions when they need better dispersion in anhydrous or oil-rich systems.
Last updated 2026-08-18