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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Caramel in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Caramel is a cosmetic ingredient that gives the product or the skin colour. The EU lists it as an allowed colorant. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 224 products, most often shampoos.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Caramel do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Caramel gives the product or the skin colour and hides an unwanted smell or taste. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: cosmetic colorant and masking.

cosmetic colorantmasking

What other names and numbers does Caramel have?

CAS number
8028-89-5
EC number
232-435-9
CosIng reference
32434

Is Caramel restricted in the EU?

It is allowed, on a list with limits. The EU lists it as an allowed colorant, with its own conditions of use (Annex IV of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 146).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Caramel?

Open Beauty Facts finds Caramel in the ingredient lists of 224 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often shampoos, hair care and bath and shower.

  • Shampoos33
  • Hair care31
  • Bath and shower16
  • Shower gels14

Products with it, by country of sale: France 89 · United States 24 · Germany 20 · Spain 15.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Caramel turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsColorants

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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