Comparing E110 - Sunset yellow FCF vs E160A - carotene

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Overview

E110 - Sunset yellow FCF

Sunset yellow FCF (E110) is a bright orange food color used to give a warm yellow‑orange shade to drinks, sweets, and baked goods. It is a certified synthetic dye, also known in the U.S. as FD&C Yellow No. 6. Regulators allow it with rules for purity, labeling, and how much may be used.

E160A - carotene

Carotene (E160A) is an orange plant pigment used to color foods. It most often refers to beta-carotene, a provitamin A compound that the body can convert into vitamin A. In foods, it brings warm yellow-to-orange shades and helps keep color consistent from batch to batch.

Synonyms

E110

Sunset yellow FCF

CI Food Yellow 3

Orange Yellow S

FD&C Yellow 6

FD & C Yellow No.6

FD and C Yellow No. 6

Yellow No.6

Yellow 6

FD and C Yellow 6

C.I. 15985

Yellow 6 lake

Sunset Yellow

E160a

carotene

Functions

colour

Origins

Products

Found in 16,734 products

Found in 5,839 products

Search rank & volume

#13410.4K / mo🇺🇸U.S.

#1746.4K / mo🇺🇸U.S.

Awareness score

×0.09

under-aware

×0.16

under-aware

Search volume over time

Interest over time for 13 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.

Interest over time for 2 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.

Popular questions

Is yellow 6 harmful?
At approved food-use levels, Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow FCF/E110) is considered safe by regulators such as the FDA, EFSA, and JECFA. A small number of people may have hypersensitivity reactions, and the EU requires a warning about possible effects on activity and attention in children.
What is yellow 6 made of?
It’s a synthetic, petroleum‑derived azo dye—the disodium salt of a sulfonated naphthalene azo compound—and is sometimes used in an insoluble aluminum “lake” form.
Is yellow 6 bad?
For most people it isn’t considered harmful at typical dietary intakes, which are well below regulatory acceptable daily intakes. Those with sensitivities (e.g., to azo dyes or aspirin) or concerned about children’s behavior may choose to limit it.
What does yellow 6 do to your body?
It provides color only and has no nutritional function; most is not absorbed and is excreted, though gut bacteria can metabolize small amounts. In susceptible individuals it can trigger allergic‑like reactions, and some children may show small, transient changes in activity or attention.
Does yellow 6 cause cancer?
Current evidence does not show that Yellow 6 causes cancer at permitted food-use levels, and regulators have not found it to be carcinogenic within established limits. Potential trace contaminants are strictly controlled to minimize any cancer risk.