Manganese Violet

What Is It?

Manganese Violet is a violet pigment used the formulation of makeup, hair coloring products, bath products, nail polish and skin care products.

Why Is It Used?

Manganese Violet imparts a violet color to to cosmetics and personal care products.

Scientific Facts

Manganese Violet is a synthetic violet pigment. Because one of the starting materials, manganese oxide, comes from the earth there may be trace amounts of heavy metals in Manganese Violet. The levels of heavy metals in Manganese Oxide are regulated by the FDA, and the small amounts that may eventually be in cosmetic or personal care products do not pose a risk to human health.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists Manganese Violet as a color additive exempt from certification. Manganese Violet may be safely used for coloring cosmetics and personal care products, including products intended for use on the lips and products intended for use in the area of the eye, when it conforms to FDA specifications. It is also approved as an indirect food additive as a colorant for polymers having incidental contact with food at concentrations up to 2% by weight of the polymers. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has deferred evaluation of this ingredient because the safety has been assessed by FDA. This deferral of review is according to the provisions of the CIR Procedures.

All color additives used in foods, drugs and cosmetics in the United States must be approved by FDA and listed in the Code of Federal Regulations. In some cases, FDA requires that each batch of color produced for use in regulated products can be used only if it is certified by the agency to meet strict specifications. FDA maintains a laboratory especially for this purpose and color manufacturers must pay a fee to support this activity. FDA only approves colors after extensive review of all safety data and publication of the basis for its approval in the Federal Register.

You can find out more about FDA regulation of colors at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-col.html

FDA: Link to Code of Federal Regulations for Manganese Violet

Manganese Violet is listed as CI 77742 in Annex IV, Part I (colouring agent allowed for use in cosmetic products) of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union and may be used without restriction in all cosmetics and personal care products. When used in cosmetic products in the European Union, this ingredient must be called CI 77742.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: 
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

You can learn more about the regulation and labeling of colors at: 
http://www.personalcarecouncil.org/colors-cosmetics-regulation-and-nomen…

More Scientific Information

Manganese Violet is an inorganic salt obtained by reacting phosphoric acid, ammonium dihydrogen orthophosphate, and manganese dioxide at temperatures above 450 degrees F. In cosmetics and personal care products, Manganese Violet functions as a colorant. When used in cosmetics and personal care products, Manganese Violet must comply with FDA specifications.

Resources

Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration

Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm

Food Contact Substances: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/PackagingFCS/defaul…

Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm

Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm

EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/