Is Blue 1 safe? Where it's allowed, limited, and what it's in

Synthetic food dye · Also known as: Brilliant Blue FCF, FD&C Blue No. 1, Blue No. 1, Blue 1 Lake, E133, CI 42090, Food Blue 2 · Reviewed Oct 20, 2026 · 23 sources

Where Blue 1 is allowed

What is Blue 1?

Blue 1 is a man-made blue dye, known chemically as Brilliant Blue FCF and certified in the US as FD&C Blue No. 1. The FDA says certifiable color additives are human-made and come primarily from petroleum and coal sources, and each batch must be certified before use. Its US regulation caps trace impurities, such as lead at 10 parts per million and arsenic at 3.

It also comes as an aluminum 'lake', an oil-dispersible form that Canada permits whenever the plain colour is.

Why it's used, and where you'll find it

Blue 1 gives foods, drinks, some medicines and some cosmetics a blue color. Its job is appearance; HHS and the FDA say these petroleum-based dyes offer no nutritional benefit.

• candy and other confections
• beverages
• breakfast cereal
• frostings
• some medicines and cosmetics

What the research and regulators say

What safety committees say about intake

In 2017 the international expert committee on food additives (JECFA) lowered Brilliant Blue FCF's acceptable daily intake from 0 to 12.5 to 0 to 6 mg per kg of body weight, based on a long-term rat study, and found that its conservative estimate for children (5 mg per kg per day) is below that limit and not a health concern. EFSA had set the same limit in 2010; its refined estimates at maximum reported use were below it, though a more cautious earlier (Tier 2) estimate put high-intake children above it. ^{[8, 9]}

Cancer classification

IARC lists Brilliant Blue FCF (disodium salt) in Group 3, 'not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans'; its list gives Monographs Volume 16 and Supplement 7, with the evaluation year as 1987. That means the evidence reviewed did not allow a conclusion either way, not that harm was found. ^{[13, 14]}

The children's behavior question

Blue 1 was not in either colour mix in the 2007 Southampton study, and EFSA's 2009 review of the colours it prompted covered six dyes, not Blue 1. The EU warning list also leaves E133 out. The FDA says most children have no adverse effects from color additives and some evidence suggests certain children may be sensitive; its 2011 advisory committee found no established causal link. The FDA's tracking page adds that HHS and FDA leaders say these dyes as a group may pose health risks, particularly to children, without citing Blue 1-specific studies. ^{[1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 18]}

Who might choose to avoid it

The sources reviewed do not single out a group that needs to avoid Blue 1. Some people simply choose to limit synthetic dyes in general.

How to spot it on a label

US labels say 'Blue 1' or 'FD&C Blue No. 1' (the aluminum lake form is listed by the FDA as 'FD&C Blue No. 1 Aluminum Lake' and is often shortened to 'Blue 1 Lake'). In Canada it is 'brilliant blue FCF'. In the EU it is 'Brilliant Blue FCF' or 'E133'. On cosmetics it may appear as CI 42090.

Frequently asked questions

Related ingredients

• Red 40
• Yellow 6
• Yellow 5
• Caramel color

This page summarizes what regulators and published research say, as of the review date above. Rules and evidence change; check the linked sources for the latest. It is general information, not medical advice — talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health.