What the SDS Tells You About a Colorant or Mica

Micas and colorants are where I see makers get the least out of their SDS, mostly because the document looks intimidating and colorant SDSs in particular tend to be vaguer than what you'd get for a straightforward chemical like a preservative. Here's what's actually worth digging for.

Section 3 is where the real identity lives

An SDS has 16 sections, and section 3 (composition and information on ingredients) is where you'll find what a colorant is actually made of. For a mica-based pigment, this section should tell you the base mineral (mica itself) plus whatever coats it, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, and so on, since most cosmetic micas are coated to get their particular shimmer or color rather than being raw mica alone.

This matters because your INCI declaration needs each of those components separately. "Mica" is one INCI entry, but a coated mica pigment might need CI 77891 (titanium dioxide) and CI 77491 (iron oxide) listed alongside it, depending on the exact product. A vague colorant SDS that just says "proprietary pigment blend" in section 3 isn't good enough. Push your supplier for the actual composition.

CI numbers are your anchor for colorants

Colorants are usually identified by a Colour Index (CI) number rather than, or in addition to, an INCI name. This numbering system is used across industries, not just cosmetics, so a CI number is a reliable way to pin down exactly which colorant you're dealing with even when trade names differ between suppliers.

Colorant type	Typical identifier	What to look for in the SDS
Titanium dioxide	CI 77891	Particle size (nano vs non-nano may have separate handling rules)
Iron oxides (red, yellow, black)	CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499	Which specific oxide, blends often combine two or more
Mica (base mineral)	CI 77019	Coating layer composition, listed separately
Ultramarines	CI 77007	Purity and heavy-metal spec, since ultramarines can vary by source
FD&C / synthetic organic dyes	Varies, check supplier documentation	Whether it's approved for your specific market and use type

Ask your supplier for the CI number explicitly if it's not on the SDS or the product spec sheet. A trade name like "Sparkle Gold #4" tells you nothing on its own.

Heavy metal specs, and why they matter more for colorants than most ingredients

Because micas and some colorants are mined or processed from mineral sources, trace heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, and others) are a real quality concern, not a theoretical one. A responsible supplier's documentation, sometimes in the SDS, sometimes in a separate certificate of analysis, should show heavy-metal test results below whatever thresholds your target market expects.

If your colorant's SDS doesn't mention heavy-metal testing at all, that's a gap worth chasing down before you use the ingredient in a product, especially anything applied near the eyes or lips, where scrutiny tends to be higher.

Where CAS numbers get complicated for colorants

Some colorants have a single clean CAS number. Others, especially blended pigments or botanically-derived colors, may have no CAS number at all, or several depending on the exact processing. Don't be alarmed if a colorant SDS lists a CAS number as "not applicable" or leaves it blank for a component; this is normal for some pigment types and isn't a sign of a bad document. What you want is enough information, CI number, composition breakdown, particle size where relevant, to correctly identify the ingredient for your declaration.

What a genuinely useful colorant SDS includes

Look for these pieces specifically, and go back to your supplier if any are missing:

• Full composition in section 3, not just a proprietary blend name
• CI number for each colorant component
• Particle size classification if it's a nano-material
• Any heavy-metal or purity specification
• Market restrictions the supplier is aware of (some suppliers note this, though you should verify independently)

Turning this into a filing

Once you've got a real composition breakdown, the ingredient screening process is the same as for any other ingredient: map each component to its INCI name, note its concentration in your finished product, and check it against your target market's restricted list. Cosmetic Comply does exactly this matching and screening automatically, including for colorants and micas, with a confidence score and a human reviewer checking the result before your notification gets filed.