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Colour

E172 (iron oxides and hydroxides): what it is, its sources, vegan or not

E172 is iron oxides and hydroxides, a colour. E172 comes from minerals. Vegan and vegetarian profiles get Fits you.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

Fits you

for a vegan profile

E172=minerals

What is E172?

E172 (iron oxides and hydroxides) is a colour, an additive that adds or restores colour in a food. Also used in make-up, where they appear as CI 77491 to CI 77499.

What is E172 made from?

E172 comes from minerals.

  • Minerals

Is E172 vegan?

Fits you. E172 comes from minerals. Nothing from an animal.

What the app says to each profile, and the reason it shows.

VeganFits youE172 comes from minerals. Nothing from an animal.
VegetarianFits youE172 comes from minerals. Nothing from an animal.

What other names does E172 have on a label?

On a label, E172 can also appear as “INS 172”, “Colour (172)”, “Colour (E172)”, “Iron oxides and hydroxides” or “Iron oxides”.

Any of these on a pack means E172. The checker reads them all.

E172E 172E-172INS 172Colour (172)Colour (E172)Iron oxides and hydroxidesIron oxidesCI 77491

What would change the answer for E172?

For E172, only the ingredient list itself: a code the camera cannot read gets Needs one more scan, and the app never guesses a code it cannot see.

Sources: EU, US and Codex additive rules

Where additives are listed and approved. Bravoora reads the source and the diet; it does not rate the hazard.

  1. EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (the E-number list)
  2. EU Regulation 1169/2011, Annex II: the allergen sources a label must name
  3. US FDA: Food Additive Status List
  4. FAO/WHO Codex: General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) online

Names and classes cross-checked with Open Food Facts (Open Database License).

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