Last verified: today
FD&C Red No. 3
Also known as: Erythrosine, Erythrosine B, CI 45430, Food Red 14, E127
Evidence under review. — Not yet rated
Synthetic red food dye with safety concerns; banned in some uses by FDA due to thyroid tumor risk in rats.
-
What it does
FD&C Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a synthetic iodine-containing dye used to color foods, drugs, and cosmetics red or pink. It is NOT a supplement ingredient with health benefits — it...
-
Evidence quality
Evidence base hasn't been formally rated yet. See research below.
-
Clinical dose
No established dose
What the Science Says
FD&C Red No. 3, also known as erythrosine, is a synthetic iodine-containing dye used to color foods, drugs, and cosmetics red or pink. It is NOT a supplement ingredient with health benefits — it is a colorant added to products for visual appeal only. It appears in over 1,000 registered supplement products purely as a coloring agent, not as an active ingredient.
What It Doesn't Do
Provides zero nutritional or therapeutic benefit. Does not support any health outcome. Not a supplement — it's a dye. No evidence it improves anything in the human body. Marketing that normalizes its presence as harmless ignores real regulatory concerns.
Absorption & Bioavailability
Unknown for humans in typical dietary doses; the iodine component is known to be absorbed, which raises thyroid concerns at high exposures.
Red Flags to Watch For
- FDA banned FD&C Red No. 3 from cosmetics and externally applied drugs in 1990 due to thyroid tumor findings in male rats at high doses — yet it remained provisionally approved in food and ingested drugs for decades.
- In January 2025, the FDA revoked authorization for FD&C Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, citing the Delaney Clause (a law prohibiting additives shown to cause cancer in animals).
- Contains iodine — people with thyroid conditions or iodine sensitivities should be especially cautious about products containing this dye.
- Presence in supplements signals low-quality formulation priorities — manufacturers using it are optimizing for appearance over consumer safety.
- Rat studies showed thyroid follicular cell hyperplasia and adenomas at high doses; while the mechanism appears non-genotoxic, the regulatory risk threshold was still crossed.
Research Sources
- PMID 27092991
- PMID 2457780
- FDA revocation of FD&C Red No. 3 authorization (January 2025)
- General regulatory knowledge
This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen. Last updated: 2026-05-25