Red dye shows up in a surprisingly wide range of everyday products, from obvious ones like candy and fruit punch to less expected items like children’s medicine, yogurt, and mouthwash. The two most common synthetic red dyes in the U.S. are FD&C Red No. 40 (also called Allura Red) and FD&C Red No. 3 (also called erythrosine), and both appear across hundreds of grocery store, pharmacy, and bathroom shelf staples.
Foods With Red Dye
Red 40 is the most widely used red food dye in the United States. The FDA lists it as an approved colorant in cereals, beverages, gelatin desserts, puddings, dairy products, and candy. In practice, that covers a huge swath of the processed food aisle: fruit-flavored cereals, strawberry-flavored yogurt, boxed cake mixes, sports drinks, fruit snacks, flavored chips, and ice cream.
Red 3 gives foods a brighter, cherry-red color. It’s commonly found in candy (especially candy corn and conversation hearts), cakes and cupcakes, cookies, frozen desserts, and frostings. It’s also used in maraschino cherries and some canned fruit.
One thing that catches people off guard is that red dye isn’t limited to red-colored foods. Orange, purple, brown, and even some “white” products can contain red dyes blended with yellow or blue dyes to achieve the final color. Chocolate pudding, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and some packaged bread products may contain Red 40 even though nothing about their appearance screams “red dye.”
Drinks and Beverages
Fruit punch, strawberry lemonade, cherry soda, and many sports drinks rely on Red 40 for their color. Some flavored waters and juice “cocktails” that contain only a small percentage of real juice use synthetic red dye to look more fruit-forward. Energy drinks and certain flavored coffees or creamers can also contain it. If a beverage is bright red, pink, or purple and isn’t colored with fruit juice alone, red dye is almost certainly on the label.
Children’s Medications and Supplements
Liquid medications for kids are a major and often overlooked source of red dye. Pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, cold and cough syrups, and antihistamines frequently contain Red 40 or Red 3 to give them that familiar pink, red, or grape color. Chewable vitamins and gummy supplements marketed to children often contain red dyes as well.
These dyes are particularly common in liquid formulations, where color helps distinguish flavors and doses. Most major brands now offer dye-free versions of common children’s medications, so checking the label or asking a pharmacist is a straightforward way to avoid them if that’s a concern for your family.
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Red dyes aren’t just in food. Lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and mouthwash can all contain synthetic or natural red colorants. The FDA permits certain color additives for external use on skin and hair, and some of those same additives are also allowed in limited amounts in products like mouthwash, toothpaste, and lip products.
Carmine, a natural red pigment derived from cochineal insects, is permanently listed for use in foods, drugs, and cosmetics, including around the eye area. It’s common in higher-end lipsticks and blushes. If a product is labeled “natural” but is vibrant red or pink, carmine is a likely ingredient.
How to Spot Red Dye on a Label
Red dyes go by several names depending on the product and country of origin. On U.S. food labels, you’ll see “FD&C Red No. 40,” “Red 40,” “FD&C Red No. 3,” or simply “Red 3.” In Europe and Canada, Red 3 is listed as “erythrosine,” and Red 40 appears as “Allura Red AC” or by its E-number, E129. Carmine may be listed as “carmine,” “cochineal extract,” “carminic acid,” or E120.
Certified synthetic dyes must be declared by name in the ingredients list on U.S. food labels. But on cosmetics, the labeling conventions differ, and color additives may appear as CI numbers (like CI 16035 for Red 40). If you’re scanning ingredient lists to avoid red dye, looking for “red,” “carmine,” “cochineal,” and “erythrosine” will catch most of them.
Red Dye and Hyperactivity Concerns
The connection between synthetic food dyes and behavioral changes in children has been studied for decades, though the evidence is more nuanced than headlines suggest. A meta-analysis of 24 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies found a small but statistically reliable effect of artificial food colors on attention and hyperactivity symptoms. Parent-reported effect sizes ranged from 0.12 to 0.21, and psychometric tests of attention showed an effect size of 0.27.
To put that in context: these are small effects at a population level, but they may matter more for individual children who are already near the threshold for an ADHD diagnosis. As researchers at the 2011 FDA Food Advisory Committee noted, ADHD is a quantitative diagnosis, similar to hypertension. A small push in symptoms from dietary factors could be enough to tip some children over the diagnostic line. The effects were more consistent in studies of food colors specifically, rather than broader dietary changes.
Regulatory Changes Underway
Red 3 is on its way out in parts of the U.S. In October 2023, California passed the California Food Safety Act, which bans four food additives including Red 3. Food manufacturers have until 2027 to reformulate or stop selling products containing it in the state. At the federal level, the FDA revoked the authorization of Red 3 in food in early 2025, giving manufacturers until 2027 (food) and 2028 (ingested drugs) to comply. Red 40 remains approved and is not affected by these bans.
Several other states have introduced or passed similar legislation targeting Red 3 and other synthetic additives. As reformulation deadlines approach, many manufacturers are already switching to natural color alternatives.
Natural Alternatives to Synthetic Red Dye
Products labeled “no artificial colors” typically use plant-based or insect-derived colorants instead. The most common natural red and reddish alternatives include:
- Beet juice or betanin (E162): extracted from red beets, producing a deep red to purple color
- Carmine (E120): a vivid red pigment from cochineal insects, widely used in both food and cosmetics
- Lycopene (E160d): the pigment that makes tomatoes red, used in some beverages and processed foods
- Anthocyanins (E163): pigments from berries, grapes, and elderberry juice that range from red to blue
- Annatto (E160b): a reddish-orange dye from achiote seeds, common in cheese and butter
- Paprika extract (E160c): provides red to orange hues in snack foods and sauces
These alternatives generally cost more and can behave differently during manufacturing, which is why synthetic dyes have remained so dominant. But consumer demand and regulatory pressure are accelerating the shift, and “colored with fruit and vegetable juice” is now a common label claim on everything from cereal to gummy candy.