E166 - Sandalwood

At a glance

• What it is: a natural red color from the heartwood of Pterocarpus santalinus.
• Regulatory status: not authorized as a food additive in the EU or the U.S.
• Where you might see it: uncommon in regulated packaged foods; may appear in historical recipes or in regions with different rules.
• How it would appear on labels: “E166” or “sandalwood.”
• Common substitutes: beetroot red, anthocyanins, cochineal, paprika extract, lycopene, saffron, or curcumin.

Why is Sandalwood added to food?

Producers used sandalwood mainly to give foods and drinks a warm red hue. Color helps signal flavor, standardize appearance from batch to batch, and make products look more appealing.

What foods contain Sandalwood?

Today, products in the European Union and the United States generally do not contain E166 because it is not authorized as a food color in those markets.¹² If you encounter the term “sandalwood” in a food context, it is likely in older recipes, specialty imports, or in countries with different color-additive rules.

What can replace Sandalwood?

When a natural red or orange tone is needed, food makers often choose permitted alternatives such as:

• Beetroot red (deep pink to red)
• Anthocyanins (berry reds and purples)
• Cochineal (vivid red)
• Paprika extract (orange-red)
• Lycopene (tomato red)
• Saffron (golden yellow) or curcumin (yellow) when a warmer shade is acceptable

How is Sandalwood made?

Sandalwood color is traditionally prepared by extracting red pigments known as santalins from the heartwood of the tree Pterocarpus santalinus.³ There is no EU or FDA food-additive specification for E166 because it is not authorized as a food color in those jurisdictions.¹²

Is Sandalwood safe to eat?

Regulators allow only listed and specified colors in foods. In the U.S., sandalwood is not on FDA’s lists of color additives permitted for use in food, and FDA classifies its status accordingly.²⁴ In the EU, only additives included in the Union list may be used; E166 is not on that list for food use.¹⁵ If you live in these regions, packaged foods should not contain E166.

Does Sandalwood have any benefits?

Its role is visual. Like other colors, sandalwood does not add meaningful nutrition. It can help give a consistent red appearance, but it does not provide health benefits on its own.

Who should avoid Sandalwood?

• Consumers in the EU and U.S. will rarely encounter E166 in compliant packaged foods. If you see it on an imported label, be cautious because it is not an authorized food color in those markets.
• People who are sensitive to plant-derived colors may wish to avoid products that use red sandalwood extracts sold for non-food purposes.

Myths & facts

• Myth: Sandalwood color is the same as sandalwood essential oil. Fact: The food color historically comes from the dyed heartwood of Pterocarpus santalinus, not from aromatic sandalwood oil.
• Myth: E166 is a common natural red used today. Fact: It is not authorized as a food color in the EU or the U.S., so approved alternatives are used instead.²¹
• Myth: If it’s natural, it must be allowed everywhere. Fact: “Natural” does not guarantee approval; only evaluated and authorized colors may be used in food.⁵

Sandalwood in branded foods

You are unlikely to find E166 listed on mainstream food labels in the EU or the U.S. because it is not an authorized food color there. Where regulations differ, local products may use other permitted natural reds instead.

References

Footnotes

1. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1129/2011 — Establishing a Union list of food additives in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R1129 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. Color Additive Status List — U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additive-inventories/color-additive-status-list ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Santalin A (pigment from Pterocarpus santalinus) — PubChem, National Institutes of Health. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5315680 ↩

4. Color additives permitted for use in food — U.S. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/industry/color-additives/color-additives-permitted-use-food ↩

5. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — European Union. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008R1333 ↩ ↩²