Natural Colorants For Handmade Soap

As a soapmaker, you'll notice that many soaps will naturally turn out different colors. For example, whenever I've added honey to soap, the soap has turned honey-colored. If it is important to you, like it is to me, that your soap is 100% all-natural, you'll be disappointed with many of the available soap dyes. Why? Because they contain the same chemicals used to color commercial soaps-namely FD&C colors (FD&C stands for Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics). These are also the ingredients used in food coloring. Some of the known side effects of FD&C colorants include:

 FD&C Red #40 causes lymphomas and tumors

 FD&C Yellow #5 (used in Dial soap) causes allergies, thyroid tumors, lymphomas, chromosomal damage, triggers asthma, hives, and hyperactivity

 FD&C Yellow #6 causes hives, runny nose, nasal congestion, bronchial constriction, anaphylactic reaction, bruising, allergies, and kidney tumors. 

 FD&C Green #3 (used in Irish Spring soap) causes bladder tumors 

 FD&C Blue #2 causes brain tumors

The only color-true natural soap dyesout there are annatto seed (orange), alkanet root (magenta), ratanjot (purple), spirullina, seaweed/kelp (all green), vanilla extract, coffee, cocoa powder (all deep brown), red and/or white wine (both make soap pink), carrot juice (orange), pureed cucumber (green), and tomato (peach). These colorants definitely hold up in handmilling and may stand up in cold processing. I also know for sure that beets (reddish-pink) do not work in coloring soap whether used in cold-processing or handmilling. Turmeric (bright yellow) and paprika (orange) can also be used to dye soap with pretty good results.

The only natural soap dyes that I know of made commercially are available from TKB Trading, Cranberry Lane, and Sun Feather Natural Soap Co. TKB Trading offers oil-based natural dyes: oil-based blue (from blue gardenia flowers), oil-based green (from chlorophyll--the stuff that causes grass stains), oil-based red (from beetles or "carmine"--this one is not vegan), and oil-based yellow (from annatto seed). Be aware that TKB Trading has a $20 minimum for orders. Cranberry Lane offers Ratanjot (purple) and Annatto Seeds (yellow). Sun Feather offers powdered natural pigments, which are made of pulverized minerals and plant material. Their offerings include: yellowish-brown (brown ochre), bright white (titanium dioxide), purple (ultramarine purple), earthy green (chromium oxide), earthy yellow (yellow ochre), bright blue (ultramarine blue), and earthy yellow (yellow sienna).

Furthermore, most all color in soap will fade over time. Ironically, reds are known for bleeding. Mineral pigments (and micas) are more likely to fade in the light than others. Do not use things that are not made for soaps, cosmetics, or food, such as crayons, candle dyes, or paint.