Skincare products using natural colourants are taking the market by storm. In contrast to mainstream products, artisan manufacturers of organic cosmetics are proud of their colourful balms and lotions. The colour in their products does not come from synthetic colourants, trying to imitate the green of apple or the pink of cherry blossom. Instead, their colouring comes from native oils and plant extracts full of natural colourants, which are usually shamelessly removed by mainstream formulators and chemists.
Although the mainstream industry views a colourant as an ingredient which is added in tiny quantities to a formulation to impart colour, we’ve broadened the definition of natural colourants in our article to include any ingredient that is added in any quantity and imparts a colour. In other words, you might add 50% of a colourful oil to your formulation and still view the oil as a natural colourant.
The natural and inherent colour of a product is proof of its authenticity. The green of avocado oil, the orange of buriti oil or the purple of elderberry extract are all signs that your ingredients are loaded with precious skincare ingredients such as beta-carotene or polyphenols.
1. AÇAÍ
- INCI: Euterpe oleracea extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic (extract), lipophilic (oil)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Cyanidin-3-rutinoside and Cyanidin-3-glucoside
- Colour: Purple (extract), green (oil)
Açaí berries are a dark purple in colour. Their main chemical compounds are anthocyanins including cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside, which are predominant in açaí fruits. These fruits also contain several flavone and flavonol glycosides, flavanol derivatives, and phenolic acids. The fruit also yields an oil which is deep green in colour and is pressed from the fruits (pulp) of the Açaí palm from Brazil.
2. ALKANET
- INCI: Alkanna Tinctoria Root Extract
- Solubility: Hydrophobic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Alkannin
- Colour: Red / purple
Alkanet is a herb in the borage family, whose roots yield a dark red dye. Although the plant’s flowers are blue, it has a dark red root of blackish appearance externally but blue-red inside, with a whitish core. The main chemical compound found in alkanet root is called alkannin, which is soluble in alcohol, ether, and oils, but is insoluble in water. Keep in mind however that alkanet is toxic for internal use (hepatotoxic), so is best avoided for formulations such as lip balms.
3. ANNATTO
- INCI: Bixa orellana seed extract
- Solubility: Lipohilic (Bixin), Hydrophilic (Norbixin)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Norbixin, Bixin
- Colour: Orange / Red
Annatto is an orange-red colourant derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana). The reddish orange colour dye of the annatto mainly comes from the resinous outer covering of the seeds of the plant. The yellow to orange colour is produced by the chemical compounds bixin and norbixin, which are classified as carotenoids. The lipophilic colour is called bixin, which can then be saponified into water-soluble norbixin. This dual solubility property of annatto is rare for carotenoids. The seeds contain 4.5–5.5% pigment, which consists of 70–80% bixin. Unlike beta-carotene, another well-known carotenoid, annatto-based pigments are not vitamin A precursors. The more norbixin in an annatto color, the more yellow it is; a higher level of bixin gives it a more orange shade.
4. AVOCADO
- INCI: Persea gratissima oil
- Solubility: Lipophilic (oil)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Lutein
- Colour: Green / Yellow
If you’ve used unrefined avocado oil before, you will know that it has a deep green colour and is so rich that it can even solidify slightly when cooled down. The skin, flesh and oil contain carotenoids and chlorophylls such as lutein, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, chlorophylls a and b, and pheophytins a and b.
One of the main pigments found in avocado oil is lutein, which is one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Lutein is synthesised only by plants and like other xanthophylls is found in high quantities in green vegetables such as spinach, kale and avocado.
5. BEETROOT
- INCI: Beta vulgaris (Beet) extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Betanin
- Colour: Red / Pink
Beetroot is a very well known colourant for water-based natural cosmetics. Its main chemical compound is called betanin, which degrades when subjected to light, heat, and oxygen. Infuse beetroot powder into glycerin to create a bright pink or red glycerite which you can use in your emulsions or water-based gels and tonics. Remember that beetroot is water-soluble so will not work in oil macerations.
6. BLUE TANSY
- INCI: Tanacetum annuum flower oil
- Solubility: Lipophilic (the essential oil)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Chamazulene
- Colour: Blue
Blue Tansy is a member of the Asteraceae family, which means it’s related to chamomile. As you’ll see in the list below, German Chamomile yields a compound called Chamazulene. This compound is also found in Blue Tansy (17-38% Chamazulene in the essential oil) and is produced during steam distillation. If you want to give your formulation a blue tinge, you can use Blue Tansy essential oil. Not to be confused with Tansy Oil (Tanacetum vulgare).
7. BURITI
- INCI: Mauritia flexuosa fruit oil
- Solubility: Lipophilic (the oil)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Beta-carotene
- Colour: Red / orange
Buriti is a palm also grown in the Amazon region. The fruits are a bit like chestnuts. The fruit pulp is yellow-orange and is used for juice making as well as oil production. The oil is edible and is applied in cooking and frying – can you imagine cooking chips in this oil?! The fruit has an edible oval seed.
Buriti oil contains over 70% oleic acid, which is similar to acai oil. Even more interestingly, buriti is unique due to its high beta-carotene content. The fruit is the richest natural source of beta-carotene and has even more beta-carotene than carrots – a carrot contains 6.6 mg of beta-carotene per 100g carrot pulp while a buriti fruit contains 30mg of beta-carotene per 100g of fruit pulp. The oil is even higher and contains 330 mg of beta-carotene per 100 grams of buriti oil.
8. BUTTERFLY PEA
- INCI: Clitoria ternatea flower extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Delphinidin
- Colour: Purple / Blue
Butterfly pea flowers have a beautiful blue colour and are frequently used as colourants in organic skincare. We even used them as an example in one of our natural gel scrubs! Butterfly pea flowers contain anthocyanins, as well as p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. Apart from anthocyanins, C. ternatea petals contain a lot of flavonoid compounds such as p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. The anthocyanins of blue butterfly pea petals are derived from an anthocyanidin form called delphinidin.
9. CALENDULA
- INCI: Calendula officinalis flower extract
- Solubility: Hydrophobic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Flavoxanthin
- Colour: Orange
Carotenoids are generally responsible for petal colours in the yellow to red range. The wide range of petal colour in various varieties of calendula originates mainly from combinations of these carotenoid pigments. Nineteen carotenoids have bee identified in extracts of petals of orange- and yellow-flowered cultivars of calendula. Flavoxanthin has been identified as the main carotenoid of calendula petals, and it is clear that this carotenoid is responsible for the orange colour of calendula’s petals. Other carotenoids identified in calendula include lycopene and lutein. As a food additive flavoxanthin is used under the E number E161a as a food colouring, although it is not approved for use in the EU or USA.
10. CARROT ROOT
- INCI: Daucus carota sativa root extract
- Solubility: Hydrophobic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Beta-carotene
- Colour: Orange
The name carotenoids, is derived from the fact that they constitute the major pigment in the carrot root, Daucus carota, are undoubtedly among the most widespread and important pigments in living organisms. Carotenoids are the pigments responsible for the colours of many plants, including carrot roots. The carotenoids – apart from the chlorophylls – are the largest group of oil-soluble pigments found in nature. Carrot root’s main pigment is derived from beta-carotene. Macerated carrot root in oil is a popular ingredient in making organic skincare and takes on a beautiful orange tinge.
11. CHAMOMILE (GERMAN)
- INCI: Matricaria recutita flower oil
- Solubility: Lipophilic (essential oil)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Chamazulene
- Colour: Blue
Also known as Hungarian, or Blue Chamomile, this variety of chamomile yields an essential oil that is deep blue due to its high chamazulene content (2-5%). The essential oil also contains a high percentage of alcohols such as bisabolol. Chamazulene is only found in the essential oils of both Roman and German chamomile and is created during the distillation process from another compound called matricin. This compound causes the essential oil of German chamomile in particular to go bright blue. Roman chamomile essential oils is often distilled in a way that prevents the formation of chamazulene as the industry prefers this oil to be a pale straw colour. Chamazulene is credited with providing the anti-inflammatory properties of both chamomiles.
12. DYER’S ROCKET
- INCI: Reseda luteola extract
- Solubility: Hydrophobic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Luteolin
- Colour: Yellow
The pigment luteolin is found in Dyer’s Rocket, Dyer’s weed,Weld,Woold, and Yellowweed. It is one of the oldest yellow dye plants and is found in many parts of central Europe. The leaves and seeds are used, which contain more dye than the stems. An infusion of the plant has been used for treating wounds.
13. ELDERBERRY
- INCI: Sambucus nigra extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic (extract)
- Main chemical pigment(s): Cyanidin 3-glucoside
- Colour: Red / purple
Elderberry contains some of the same chemical pigments and natural colourants as those found in Acai berries, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that they share a similar deep purple colour. Its main pigment is caused by an anthocyanin called cyanidin 3-glucoside which is highly water soluble.
14. HEMP
- INCI: Cannabis sativa oil
- Solubility: Lipophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Chlorophyll
- Colour: Green
Hemp oil has an intensive green colour due to its chlorophyll content. Hemp oil obtained by supercritical CO2 has three times higher chlorophyll content and four times higher total carotene content compared to the cold pressed oil (Aladić, et al., 2014). Chlorophyll is soluble in alcohol and oil, but insoluble in water.
15. HENNA
- INCI: Lawsonia inermis extract
- Solubility: Hydrophobic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Lawsone
- Colour: Red / orange
Henna has been used since antiquity to dye skin, hair and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool and leather. Henna contains a compound called Lawsone. Lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone), also known as hennotannic acid, is a red-orange dye present in the leaves of the henna plant (Lawsonia inermis) as well as in the flower of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).
16. HIBISCUS
- INCI: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Cyanidin-3-sophoroside, Cyanidin-3-sambubioside, Delphinidin-3-sambubioside
- Colour: Red / pink
The red pigments contained in red flowers of the Hibiscus species are anthocyanins, and are widely used as colouring agents. Cyanidin-3-sophoroside is thought to be the main chemical pigment found in Hibiscus petals of the species Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Extracts are also prepared of a species of Hibiscus called Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), thought to be native to West Africa. The main anthocyanins found in Hibiscus sabdariffa are cyanidin-3-sambubioside and delphinidin-3-sambubioside.
17. INDIGO
- INCI: Indigofera tinctoria extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Indigotin
- Colour: Blue / Mauve
The blue pigment found in Indigo is extracted from the plant’s fermented leaves. This produces a blue to mauve colour called indigotin (an indigoid structure). The plant is sometimes also known as Pigmentum indicum. A paste exudes from the fermenting plant material which is processed into cakes that are then finely ground. The blue colour develops as this powder is exposed to air.
Indigo dye is a derivative of indican, a glucoside component of numerous Indigofera species and this is converted to blue indigotin using an enzyme process. This dye is quite colourfast and is combined with stabilizers and other compounds to produce a wide range of colourants. Today, almost all indigo used commercially is produced synthetically (Dweck, 2002).
18. IRIS
- INCI: Iris germanica extract
- Solubility: Hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Mangiferin, Delphinidin
- Colour: Purple / Blue / Green
Botanically derived from the roots of Iris germanica, iris extract possesses a high concentration of isoflavones and rhizomes. Iris contains mangiferin which is thought to be one of the major co-pigments in Iris flowers, producing, by interaction with the anthocyanin (a delphinidin glycoside), a range of purple, mauve and blue shades.
Iris germanica has historically been used to produce Iris Green, a green pigment which was made from perianth leaves of various plants. The pigment was prepared by simply squeezing the juice from the flowers and mixing with an aluminium hydroxide (alum) base. The green colour was made from the perianth leaves of the purple iris. The dye was initially purple, adding alum will change it to blue, and adding calcium will turn it green.
19. MADDER
- INCI: Rubia tinctorum extract
- Solubility: Mildly hydrophilic
- Main chemical pigment(s): Alizarin and Purpurin
- Colour: Red / purple
Madder is native to the Mediterranean and was once widely grown as a dye plant. The generic name, Rubia means red and the plant has been used as a source of a permanent red dye. The 2–3-year old rootstock of the plants is used medicinally, which remains red when dried. The constituents include anthraquinone glycosides which are two red chemical entities derived from the roots and tubers, which are known as alizarin and purpurin.
SOURCE: https://formulabotanica.com/38-natural-colourants-skincare/
