What is aluminum lake ingredient?

An aluminum lake is a type of pigment used to color foods, medicines, and cosmetics. Here’s what you need to know:

- What it is: A lake pigment formed when a water-soluble dye is precipitated with aluminum salts (usually aluminum hydroxide). The result is an insoluble pigment that doesn’t dissolve in water, giving stable color in products.

- Why it’s used: Because it’s insoluble, it doesn’t bleed or dissolve into the product, making it ideal for coatings, candies, pills, baked goods, cosmetics, etc.

- How it’s named on labels: You’ll often see it as a “lake” form of a color additive, for example:
- FD&C Red No. 40 Lake (Allura Red Lake)
- FD&C Yellow No. 5 Lake (Tartrazine Lake)
- FD&C Yellow No. 6 Lake (Sunset Yellow Lake)
- FD&C Blue No. 1 Lake (Brilliant Blue Lake)
In cosmetics, you might see the color index (CI) number, like “CI 16035 Lake.”

- How it’s different from dyes: The original dyes are water-soluble. The lake form is the same dye bound to aluminum to make it insoluble.

- Safety and regulation: Aluminum lakes are regulated color additives. They’re approved for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics within set limits by authorities like the FDA (US) and EFSA (EU). Most people can use products containing them safely, but people with dye sensitivities or aluminum-related concerns should check labels and consult a clinician if needed.

If you want, tell me where you saw it (food label, cosmetic, or medicine), and I can point to common examples in that category.