Low Color Intensity of Easy Wash Colors in Water

Question

I ordered colors from the EASY WASH group and mixed them with distilled water, but the color is very light or almost colorless. What is causing this?

If I want the color to be more intense, what should I do? Are there any colors you recommend for use with distilled water?

The colors I purchased are:

D&C Blue No.2
CI42090
CI16035
CI59040
CI60730

I used the colors at a concentration of 0.5 grams per 100 milliliters of water.

MySkinRecipes Expert · Accepted Answer

Explanation for Low Color Intensity with Easy Wash Colors in Water

The Easy Wash group of colors, such as D&C Blue No.2 EasyWash™, Brilliant Blue (CI42090) EasyWash™, and FD&C Red No.40 (CI16035, Allura Red) EasyWash™, are specially treated to be easily washed off surfaces. This characteristic means they may not fully develop or maintain intense color when simply mixed with distilled water at a low concentration (like 0.5g per 100ml).

To achieve a more intense color, you can try increasing the concentration of the Easy Wash color in the distilled water. However, due to their easy-to-wash nature, there might be a limit to how vibrant and stable the color can become in plain water.

Alternatively, for better color intensity and stability in water-based formulations, consider using standard water-soluble cosmetic colors that are not from the Easy Wash group. Examples include Brilliant Blue, Blue No.1 (CI42090) (Water-Soluble), FD&C Red No.40 (CI16035, Allura Red) (Water-Soluble), and D&C Blue No.2 (Indigo Carmine, CI73015) (Water-Soluble). These standard water-soluble colors are highly concentrated and designed to dissolve and provide vibrant color in water-based products.

Unfortunately, information regarding CI59040 and CI60730 was not available in the product database.