Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to give cosmetics and personal care products a red to pink shade. In lake form, it acts as an insoluble pigment that disperses in powders, sticks, waxes, and anhydrous systems rather than dissolving in water.
What does Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic colorant used to give cosmetics and personal care products a red to pink shade. In lake form, it acts as an insoluble pigment that disperses in powders, sticks, waxes, and anhydrous systems rather than dissolving in water.
Is Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 clean?
From a clean beauty perspective, this ingredient has frequent restricted-list friction because many standards prefer mineral or naturally derived colorants over certified synthetic dyes. It is regulated as a color additive and typically requires batch certification, with sensitivity reactions considered uncommon but possible in susceptible users.
Is Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 sustainable?
This material is synthetically made, generally from petrochemical feedstocks, and the lake format uses an inorganic aluminum substrate. It is not a strong fit for biodegradability-centered formulas, and colored manufacturing wastewater needs controlled treatment.
Is Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because synthetic dye lakes are not permitted colorants under those frameworks. Its Green Chemistry profile is limited by nonrenewable feedstocks, multi-step synthesis, and weak biodegradability credentials.
How does Red 40 Lake/Ci 16035 work chemically?
This material is an insoluble lake made by binding a sulfonated monoazo dye onto an aluminum-based substrate, which improves dispersion in oil, wax, and powder systems and reduces bleeding compared with the soluble dye form. Use level is shade-dependent and often well below 1% in many formulas, though higher pigment loads can appear in color cosmetics, with performance influenced by dispersion quality, light exposure, and compatibility with other pigments.
Last updated 2026-05-13