Sunset yellow FCF
A synthetic orange-yellow dye used in food, cosmetics, and medicines
No single value: Sunset yellow FCF is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, orange.
Sunset yellow FCF is a bright orange azo dye made from petroleum, used to colour foods, cosmetics, and drugs. In the US it is called FD&C Yellow 6, and in Europe it is E110; it gives an orange or yellow-orange shade and is often combined with other dyes to create brown tones.
- Known as FD&C Yellow 6 in the US and E110 in Europe
- Used in foods, cosmetics, and medicines for orange colour
- Made from petroleum through chemical synthesis
- Colour shifts with pH, from yellow-orange to orange
- Often combined with amaranth to make brown shades
What colour is Sunset yellow FCF?
Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic dye that gives an orange to yellow-orange colour. It is mainly used to colour foods, cosmetics, and medicines. Its colour can shift slightly depending on the acidity of its surroundings, appearing more yellow or more orange. It is often used when a bright, clear orange is needed, and can be mixed with other dyes for different shades.
Where does Sunset yellow FCF come from?
The dye is petroleum-derived and belongs to the azo dye family, which means it contains a nitrogen-nitrogen double bond. Its name, 'sunset yellow', refers to its vivid orange shade. In the United States, it is called FD&C Yellow 6, while in Europe it is known as E110. The dye has been subject to regulation and debate, especially in Europe and Norway, where its approval and labelling have changed over time.
How is Sunset yellow FCF made?
Sunset yellow FCF is made from petroleum products, with carbon as a key element. It is produced through chemical synthesis, resulting in an azo compound. The dye's colour properties depend on its chemical structure and the pH of its environment, which can cause slight changes in the shade it displays.
Where Sunset yellow FCF is used
This dye is widely used to colour foods such as candy, desserts, snacks, sauces, and preserved fruits. It is also found in cosmetics and drugs. In some cases, it is mixed with another dye, amaranth (E123), to create brown colours for chocolates and caramel. Its use is regulated, with specific acceptable daily intake limits set by authorities.
Orange around the world
What the orange family means from country to country.
Orange and black are the colours of Halloween, 31 October: orange for pumpkins and autumn leaves, black for night.
Festival and celebrationDanger and warningFearSource: HalloweenThe lowest band of the flag is orange, often called apricot, after the national fruit. The constitution says it stands for the creative talent and hard work of the people.
Politics and protestNature and renewalPrideSource: Flag of ArmeniaThe flag is split corner to corner. The orange half stands for the Buddhist tradition, and the white dragon across the middle for purity.
Sacred and holySource: Flag of BhutanOn 30 September people wear orange shirts to remember the children sent to residential schools. Phyllis Webstad's new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at one.
Mourning and deathPolitics and protestGriefSource: National Day for Truth and ReconciliationOrange is also the colour of the New Democratic Party. Its sweep of Quebec seats in the 2011 election was called the Orange Wave.
Politics and protestSource: New Democratic PartyThe flag shows the island in copper orange on white. The colour recalls copper, which was mined here in ancient times and may have taken its name from Cyprus.
Politics and protestNature and renewalSource: Flag of CyprusShades and relatives of Sunset yellow FCF
Sunset yellow FCF is sometimes used with other dyes like amaranth to make brown shades. It is related to other synthetic food dyes such as tartrazine (Yellow 5) and allura red. Its colour can change slightly depending on acidity, ranging from yellow-orange to a deeper orange.
Questions people ask about Sunset yellow FCF
What colour is Sunset yellow FCF?
It is an orange to yellow-orange synthetic dye, used to give foods and other products a bright orange shade.
Where does the name Sunset yellow FCF come from?
The name refers to its vivid orange colour, similar to the colour of a sunset. FCF stands for 'For Colouring Food'.
What is Sunset yellow FCF made from?
It is made from petroleum, using carbon as a key element, and is produced by chemical synthesis.
Where is Sunset yellow FCF used?
It is used in foods like candy and desserts, as well as in cosmetics and medicines to provide orange or yellow-orange colour.
Is Sunset yellow FCF safe?
Regulatory bodies such as the EU, WHO, and US FDA have set acceptable daily intake limits and found no evidence of carcinogenicity or genotoxicity at approved levels.
Good reading and sources
- Sunset yellow FCF on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Sunset yellow FCF", 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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