Oxides and Ultramarines are another commonly used group of Color Additives found in skin care and bath & body formulas. Oxides and Ultramarines are also used in conventional makeup as well as mineral makeup.
Ultramarines & Oxides have bold, matte colors that can add intense or subtle color to your recipes, depending on the amount added. They are dispersible in oil, but not in water, and can be used in a wide variety of skin care formulas including lotions, balms, body butters, mineral makeup, and bath bombs. Ultramarines & Oxides are also great for coloring cold process or melt & pour soaps. Unlike FD&C Dyes, Ultramarines & Oxides won’t bleed between layers of glycerin soap. In cold process soap, Ultramarines & Oxides can provide bold color for swirls and layers. Some Ultramarines & Oxides can morph in color during cold process or hot process soap making. Make sure to experiment in small batches whenever you try using a new color.
These brightly colored mineral powders are available in different grades suitable for various applications. The most notable are Cosmetic and Technical Grades. When using Oxides & Ultramarines in skin care products or soaps it is important to use only Cosmetic Grade. This grade of mineral colorants has been carefully regulated to ensure its safety for use on the skin. Some raw minerals contain high contents of dangerous components, such as heavy metals, and cannot be used for skin care. For safety reasons, these particular Cosmetic Grade Oxides and Ultramarines are created in labs. Though their composition mimics the natural mineral almost completely, they are by some standards, synthetic.
Technical Grades of Oxides and Ultramarines are often composed of a higher amount of natural or raw mineral, making them unsuitable for use in skin care. Technical Grade Ultramarines or Oxides are used for industrial applications such as coloring paints or plastics. While the price of Technical Grade Oxides or Ultramarines can be tempting, they should never be used in the creation of skin care products or soaps. The heavy metals that can be contained in Technical Grade Colorants can be extremely toxic.
For a complete listing of Cosmetic Grade Ultramarines & Oxides available at FromNatureWithLove.com, please check out our Color Additives Section.
question smartie pants– i would like a water soluable pigment. any ideas? shooting for blue bluegreen or purple
The only water soluble pigments that we offer are D&C and FD&C Dyes. The Liquid Dyes have already been diluted, so they allow a little less control over the potency in exchange for convenience. These dyes are also available in powdered form. The powders are extremely potent, and can be very invasive, so they should be handled with care. At full strength hey will dye hair, skin, and fabric with unbelievable ease! The advantage of the Powdered Dyes is that you will have more control over their potency. You can dilute them into Distilled Water, or add them directly to water based formulas.
Violet #2 Dye is very light in its liquid form, but can be more potent as a powder. You can also create a nice purple by mixing Blue #1 and Red #33. Our Green #3 and Green #5 are both variations of blue-green, but you can also achieve a nice blue green by mixing Blue #1 with Yellow #5 or Green #8. Another advantage of D&C and FD&C Dyes is their ability to blend seamlessly with one another in order to create unique shades.
Here is a link to these Ingredients:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/thumbnails.asp