Quinoline Yellow WS
A greenish yellow synthetic dye used in foods, drinks, medicines and cosmetics
No single value: Quinoline Yellow WS is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, yellow.
Quinoline Yellow WS is a greenish yellow dye made from a mixture of sulfonated organic compounds. It is water-soluble and mainly used as a food colouring in Europe and Australia, and in medicines and cosmetics in North America. Its safety has been reviewed by food authorities, with no strong evidence of harm.
- Used as food colouring E104 in Europe and Australia
- Known as D&C Yellow 10 in medicines and cosmetics in North America
- Water-soluble due to sulfonate groups
- Has a greenish yellow shade
- Made from synthetic organic compounds
What colour is Quinoline Yellow WS?
Quinoline Yellow WS is a synthetic dye that gives a greenish yellow colour. It is made from a mixture of sulfonated organic compounds, which makes it dissolve easily in water. This dye stands out from other yellows because of its slightly greenish tint and its use in foods and medicines where water solubility is needed.
Where does Quinoline Yellow WS come from?
The name Quinoline Yellow comes from its chemical structure, which is based on quinoline, a nitrogen-containing compound. The 'WS' stands for 'water soluble', describing its main property. This dye is produced by sulfonating a parent dye called Quinoline Yellow SS, making it suitable for use in water-based products.
How is Quinoline Yellow WS made?
Quinoline Yellow WS is made by adding sulfonate groups to organic compounds related to quinoline. This process creates a mixture of disulfonates, monosulfonates, and trisulfonates, which are then purified. The dye is synthetic, built from basic elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sodium, oxygen, and sulfur.
Where Quinoline Yellow WS is used
This dye is used to colour foods and drinks in Europe and Australia, where it is known as E104. In the United States and Canada, it is not allowed in foods but can be found in medicines and cosmetics, labelled as D&C Yellow 10. It is added to products like sauces, decorations, coatings, and beverages.
Yellow around the world
What the yellow family means from country to country.
The yellow disc of the Aboriginal flag is the sun, giver of life. The flag was designed by the Luritja artist Harold Thomas and first flown in Adelaide in 1971.
Sacred and holySource: Australian Aboriginal flagMany First Nations use the medicine wheel, a circle in four parts. A common form has yellow, red, black and white quarters for the four directions, though the colours vary between nations.
Sacred and holySource: Medicine wheel (symbol)At the gaye holud, held a day or two before a wedding, relatives rub turmeric paste on the bride and groom. Guests dress in yellow and orange.
Weddings and marriageFestival and celebrationJoySource: Gaye holudOn Pohela Falgun, the first day of spring, young women wear yellow and orange saris, a shade called basanti, with flowers in their hair.
Festival and celebrationNature and renewalJoySource: Pohela FalgunThe Flemish flag is a black lion on yellow, and the Walloon flag a red cockerel on yellow. The language communities are often shown by these colours.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of FlandersThe flag is yellow, the colour of the Sultan. By custom, ordinary people did not wear yellow in the ruler's presence.
Royalty and powerPrideSource: Flag of BruneiShades and relatives of Quinoline Yellow WS
Quinoline Yellow WS is closely related to Quinoline Yellow SS, which is soluble in alcohol rather than water. It is sometimes grouped with other synthetic yellow dyes, but its greenish hue and water solubility make it distinct. It is one of several dyes studied for possible health effects.
Questions people ask about Quinoline Yellow WS
What colour is Quinoline Yellow WS?
Quinoline Yellow WS is a greenish yellow dye, giving products a yellow colour with a slight green tint.
Where does the name Quinoline Yellow WS come from?
The name comes from its chemical structure, which is based on quinoline, and 'WS' stands for 'water soluble'.
Where is Quinoline Yellow WS used?
It is used as a food colouring in Europe and Australia, and in medicines and cosmetics in the United States and Canada.
Is Quinoline Yellow WS safe?
Food authorities have found no strong evidence of harm, though its use and acceptable intake are regulated and reviewed.
Good reading and sources
- Quinoline Yellow WS on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Quinoline Yellow WS", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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