Is Iron Oxide Yellow (ci 77492) safe in food and drink?
Cosmetics1 use researched2 sourced claims
Where it turns up: yellow pigment, cosmetic colorant, common. Detox My Life researched iron oxide yellow (ci 77492) under one use, because the same substance means something different in each use. Every claim below carries its evidence tier, how sure the research is that it applies here, and the sources it cites. The level is computed by the app's own deterministic engine, so the page says exactly what the app would.
Level by use and lens
| Use | Mainstream | Cautious (default) | Based | Concerns · favour · fringe |
|---|
| Eaten or drunk | Low | Low | Low | 2 · 0 |
Mainstream shows consensus claims only; Cautious adds emerging research; Based adds fringe claims, labelled as such. The last column counts, under Cautious, the sourced concerns, the findings in its favour and the fringe claims Based would add.
Safer swaps: the app's swap catalog has no entry tied to this ingredient yet. When you scan a product that contains it, the app suggests cleaner alternative types for that product; the swap categories list what the catalog covers today.
Eaten or drunk Low
Under the default Cautious lens iron oxide yellow (ci 77492) in food and drink rates Low: a little concern, nothing the app would ask you to swap. Mainstream (consensus only) rates it Low; Based (adds the fringe) rates it Low. Researched 2026-09-03.
Sourced concerns (2)
ConsensusTheoryconfidence 50%
Iron oxide yellow (CI 77492), also known as E172, is approved as a safe food additive for ingestion within specified limits by major regulatory bodies in the USA and Europe.
- Why here
- This ingredient is intentionally added to various food products as a colorant.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion as a food additive (E172) in amounts consistent with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) or within an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 0-0.5 mg/kg body weight, as established by JECFA.
Sources the engine cites:
EmergingMetabolicconfidence 50%
Studies have observed strong interaction of nanoscaled iron oxide yellow (E172) particles with intestinal cells after oral uptake, though no in vitro toxic effects on human cells were recorded.
- Why here
- E172 food colorants can contain nanoscaled particles, and their fate after ingestion is an area of ongoing investigation.
- What would have to be true
- Ingestion of food products containing E172, which may include nanoscaled particles.
Sources the engine cites:
Not researched here
The engine has no dossier for iron oxide yellow (ci 77492) when cooked with heat, in cold food, as a finishing ingredient, in heated food packaging or other uses. The app researches an ingredient for the use it infers from your product, so a scan fills these in; this page only shows what has already been researched and source-verified.
This is research, not medical advice. Detox My Life shows sourced claims sorted by evidence tier. It does not diagnose, treat, or tell you to start or stop anything. Talk to a qualified professional about your health.
Scan your own. The app reads any product label with your camera, works out how you are about to use it, and researches every ingredient for that use with live sources. Every scan adds to a Detox Score for your home, where 50 is a typical home in your region, and a plan of next swaps.
See also: all ingredients · paste a label to check it · how to read an ingredient flag
