FD&C colorants are also manufactured in a laboratory. By way of comparison,
they are easier to use than many pigments, and provide a much wider range of colors.
There is some debate over the safety of FD&C colorants, because in the past, the
FDA has recalled some of these colorants due to safety concerns. However, this fear
is, most likely, unfounded. FD&C colorants are in almost all of the processed foods
we eat, so the miniscule amount that is in soap is not really cause for concern. FD&C
colorants are inexpensive, and very easy to use; they are great for use in melt-and-
pour soap, but they don’t usually remain stable in cold-process soap, due to its high
alkalinity.
Micas are a combination of natural and synthetic materials. The micas
themselves are natural material; after they are mined, they are then coated with
FD&C colorants, or pigments, to provide them with color. Shimmery micas are
normally used to give color to makeup, but can be used for soap as well. Because of
their metallic sheen, micas can only display their color by reflecting light; therefore,
they work best in translucent soaps. They blend very smoothly, but a larger amount is
required than if you were coloring the soap with other colorants. Micas also look
nice in cold-process soap, but because some of them are coated with FD&C colorants,
they should be tested before use.
When the colorant you used transfers unintentionally, and alters the look of the
intended design, this is referred to as bleeding, or color migration. This usually
occurs in melt-and-pour soaps, because water is mixed with the soap base to melt it,
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