Bronze Powder

What Is It?

Bronze Powder is a yellow, scaly crystalline powder. In cosmetics and personal care products, Bronze Powder is used in the formulation of blushers, eye makeup, face powders, lipsticks, hair color sprays, hair coloring products and powders.

Why Is It Used?

Bronze Powder imparts a color to cosmetics and personal care products.

Scientific Facts

Bronze Powder is an inorganic metal consisting of powdered bronze. Bronze is an alloy of copper and zinc with small amounts of aluminum and tin.

Safety Information

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists Bronze Powder as a color additive exempt from certification. It may be safely used in coloring cosmetics, including those intended for use in the area of the eye, when it conforms to FDA specifications. FDA also permits Bronze Powder to be used to color drugs for external use. Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) has deferred evaluation of this ingredient because the safety has been assessed by FDA. This deferral of review is according to the provisions of the CIR Procedures.

All color additives used in foods, drugs and cosmetics in the United States must be approved by FDA and listed in the Code of Federal Regulations. In some cases, FDA requires that each batch of color produced for use in regulated products can be used only if it is certified by the agency to meet strict specifications. FDA maintains a laboratory especially for this purpose and color manufacturers must pay a fee to support this activity. FDA only approves colors after extensive review of all safety data and publication of the basis for its approval in the Federal Register.

You can find out more about FDA regulation of colors at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-col.html

Link to FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Bronze Powder

You can learn more about the regulation and labeling of colors at: 
http://www.personalcarecouncil.org/colors-cosmetics-regulation-and-nomen…

Bronze Powder is listed as CI 77400 in the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union and may be used as a coloring agent in all cosmetics and personal care products (see Annex IV). When used in cosmetic and personal care products in Europe, Bronze Powder must be called CI 77400.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: 
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

Bronze Powder is a very fine metallic powder prepared from an alloy consisting principally of copper and zinc with small amounts of the aluminum and tin. In cosmetics and personal care products, Bronze Powder functions as a colorant.