Dyes & Lakes

Dyes are nearly pure, water-soluble colorants, while lakes are dyes that have been suspended in an aluminum salt carrier, making them oil-dispersible instead. Both start from the same base color pigments, but they behave very differently: dyes need water to reveal their true color, while lakes are already highly concentrated powders that disperse well in oil-based or dry formulations.

Neither is recommended for cold process soap. Both dyes and lakes tend to morph, migrate into other colors, and bleed when exposed to the high pH and saponification process of CP soap. They're much better suited to melt and pour, liquid soap, and bath bombs.

Dyes need to be bloomed first, which just means dissolved in water: stir a small amount into a little water until no powder remains, then mix that into your bath bomb's baking soda blend, or for melt and pour and liquid soap, add the diluted dye to your batch. The powder in the jar may look nothing like the finished color, since a dye only shows its true color once it is in water.

Lakes don't require blooming and are ready to use straight from the jar. For bath bombs, add color gradually with a small scoop until you reach your desired shade. For melt and pour or liquid soap, premix the lake in a small amount of glycerin before adding it to your batch to avoid speckling. Lakes are very concentrated and can stain hands, countertops, and surfaces, so gloves and protected workspaces are recommended.

Our dyes and lakes are batch certified, meaning each batch has been tested and certified by the FDA before we sell it. That said, batch certification alone doesn't guarantee a color is approved for every application. Always confirm a colorant is specifically approved for your intended use (like bath bombs vs. general cosmetics) before formulating with it.

Batch certification means a specific batch of a dye or lake was actually tested and approved by the FDA before it was sold, not just that the color type is generally allowed. Each certified batch gets its own lot and batch number, which you can find on the product's packaging. This matters because some sellers market colors as cosmetic grade or certified when the actual batch was never tested; there's no real way to verify that claim without a lot number tracing back to an FDA-certified batch. When you see a lot/batch number on a colorant, that's your proof it's the real thing. This applies specifically to dyes and lakes; mica and pigments follow separate purity standards instead of batch certification.