March 24, 2026
What Are Food Dyes? The Complete Guide to Artificial Color Additives
A comprehensive guide to food dyes and how to avoid them.
Blue 2
Flavors + Colors
- Potentially Harmful
Definition
A synthetic version of the plant-based indigo dye made by the sulfonation of indigo dye.
Also Known As
Blue #2, Indigo Carmine, FD&C Blue No 2, Indigotine, BLUE NO. 2, Indigatine
Health Impact
Some people, especially children, may be sensitive to food dyes, and have experienced allergic reactions when consuming them. Artificial food dyes have also been linked to increased behavioral problems in children, especially those with ADHD, because they may cause chemical changes in the brain, inflammation, and depletion of minerals that are important to growth and development.
Sources
- Potential impacts of synthetic food dyes on activity and attention in children: a review of the human and animal evidence
BioMed Central (BMC)
- Artificial Food Colors and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Symptoms: Conclusions to Dye for
US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
- Color Additives History
FDA
- Mechanisms of behavioral, atopic, and other reactions to artificial food colors in children
Pub Med
- Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risk
Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Color Additives Questions and Answers for Consumers
Food and Drug Administration
