Natural vs. Artificial Colors: What It Means for Your Menu

Color is one of the first things customers notice when they see a dessert or beverage. Color sets expectations, enhances visual appeal, and even influences perceived flavor. From the deep red of a strawberry glaze to the pastel hues of a macaron, color plays a critical role in shaping the dining experience. But behind every vibrant creation is an important decision: should you use natural or artificial colors?

As clean-label and natural ingredient trends continue to grow, many chefs are re-evaluating their use of artificial colors and seeking alternatives that align with evolving market demands. At Itaberco, we believe that quality comes first. That’s why we made the commitment years ago to transition away from artificial dyes in favor of natural color solutions derived from fruits, vegetables, and minerals in our products. While natural colors present unique formulation challenges, our expertly crafted flavor compounds offer an all-in-one solution—delivering the rich color along with authentic taste and reliable performance that dessert and beverage professionals need.

We’ll take a closer look at natural vs. artificial colors, exploring their unique advantages, potential drawbacks, and what they mean for your menu and ingredient choices.

The Key Differences Between Natural and Artificial Colors

While both natural and artificial colors enhance visual appeal, they differ significantly in composition, sourcing, and performance. Choosing the right one depends on operational needs and consumer expectations.

What Are Natural Colors?

Natural colors are derived from fruits, vegetables, and minerals, making them a clean-label choice for food and beverage applications. These colors are exempt from Food & Drug Administration (FDA) certification because they originate from recognizable, naturally occurring sources. Some common examples include:

Beet juice: Provides a rich red or pink hue.
Carrot extract: Delivers orange to yellow tones.
Spirulina: A plant-based source of blue and green shades.
Butterfly pea flower: Used for vibrant blues and purples.
Lycopene (from tomatoes): Offers a natural red color.

What Are Artificial Colors?

Artificial colors, also known as FD&C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic) colors, are certified by the FDA and commonly used for their intense, long-lasting hues. Unlike natural colors, these synthetic dyes are often derived from petroleum or coal sources and undergo a rigorous certification process to ensure consistency and safety in food applications. Some widely used artificial colors include:

Red 40: A bright, stable red commonly found in candies and beverages.
Yellow 5 & 6: Vibrant yellows often used in baked goods and snacks.
Blue 1: An electric blue found in frostings, sports drinks, and confections.
Green 3: A bright green rarely found in natural alternatives.

The Pros and Cons of Natural vs. Artificial Colors

Natural Colors

Pros of Using Natural Colors

Perceived as healthier and cleaner: Consumers are becoming more aware of artificial additives, making natural colors a preferred choice for those seeking cleaner ingredient lists. Natural colors help brands align with the growing demand for transparency and better-for-you products.
Derived from real food sources: Unlike synthetic dyes, natural colors come from fruits, vegetables, and minerals, such as beet juice, turmeric, spirulina, and lycopene. This allows brands to emphasize natural ingredients in their products.
Accepted in premium and clean-label markets: Many high-end retailers, organic brands, and health-conscious consumers prioritize natural colors. Stores like Whole Foods and other clean-label brands prohibit artificial dyes, making natural color solutions essential for entering premium market segments.

Cons of Using Natural Colors

More expensive: Natural colors are typically costlier than artificial dyes due to sourcing, extraction, and stability challenges. Since they come from real food ingredients, production costs are higher, and availability can fluctuate based on harvest conditions.
Less stable in certain applications: Natural colors can be pH-sensitive, heat-sensitive, or prone to fading over time, requiring careful formulation to maintain stability and vibrancy. Some colors are difficult to achieve: Blues and greens are particularly challenging to attain naturally. U.S. regulations restrict certain natural green options, and many natural blue sources, like spirulina, have flavor and stability concerns.
Some colors can subtly impact flavor: Since natural colors are derived from fruits, vegetables, and botanicals, they can sometimes introduce earthy or bitter notes to the final product, especially in high concentrations.

Artificial Colors

Pros of Using Artificial Colors

Lower cost: Artificial colors are significantly cheaper to produce and use compared to natural alternatives. Since they are highly concentrated, only small amounts are needed to achieve bold, consistent hues.
Longer shelf life: Artificial colors are chemically stable, giving them a longer shelf life and making them easier to store and transport. Many are available in dry powder form, with some lasting several years without degradation.
More vibrant and stable in most applications: Artificial colors can produce intense, electric shades that are difficult to replicate naturally. They are also resistant to pH changes, heat exposure, and oxidation, ensuring consistent color across a wide range of formulations.
Does not affect flavor: Artificial colors are flavor-neutral and don’t alter the taste or aroma of the final product. This makes them easier to work with in delicate desserts and beverages where maintaining pure flavor is essential.

Cons of Using Artificial Colors

Growing health concerns: Artificial dyes, such as Red 3, Yellow 5, and Blue 1, have been linked to potential health risks and behavioral concerns in some studies. Red 3 was recently banned in certain applications in the U.S., and more regulatory actions could follow.
Restricted in clean-label and premium markets: Many retailers, including Whole Foods and other clean-label brands, prohibit artificial colors. This limits opportunities for brands that want to enter premium, organic, or natural food markets.
Increasing consumer resistance: With the rise of health-conscious consumers, artificial colors are viewed with increasing skepticism. Many brands have already reformulated to remove synthetic dyes in response to shifting consumer preferences.

How Natural Colors Impact Formulation in Desserts & Beverages

Factors Affecting Performance

Natural colors are inherently more sensitive to environmental factors, which can alter their hue, intensity, and stability. When formulating with natural colors, dessert and beverage professionals must consider:

pH Sensitivity: Many natural colors, such as anthocyanins from purple carrots or berries, change color based on the acidity of the product.
Temperature Sensitivity: Heat can degrade certain natural pigments, leading to color loss or browning over time.
Application Considerations: The fat content, moisture level, and overall composition of a dessert or beverage can affect how a natural color performs.
Processing Method: Steps like pasteurization, freezing, or baking can impact the final color outcome.

For example, consider strawberry ice cream. A natural choice for a red hue might be purple carrot extract, but due to its pH sensitivity, it can shift to an undesirable bluish-gray in dairy-based applications. Instead, lycopene provides a consistent pinkish-red hue without the risk of color distortion.

Maintaining stability and vibrancy with natural colors often requires a tailored approach—choosing the right source for the application, adjusting processing conditions, and sometimes blending multiple color sources for optimal results.

How Colors Can Impact Taste

Unlike artificial dyes, which are flavor-neutral, natural colors can subtly influence taste due to their botanical origins. While many natural pigments are virtually undetectable in the final product, some can impart earthy or bitter notes if used at higher concentrations. For example, radish-based reds can carry peppery or bitter undertones, while beet-derived colors may introduce a mild earthy sweetness.

At Itaberco, our R&D team carefully selects and balances natural color sources to ensure they complement flavors rather than interfere with them. Through extensive testing and formulation expertise, we create seamless, all-in-one solutions that maintain the perfect balance of color, taste, and functionality for desserts and beverages.

The Business Case for Using Natural Colors

Beyond formulation considerations, the choice between natural and artificial colors has significant business implications. As consumer demand shifts toward clean-label products, dessert and beverage professionals who adopt natural colors can gain a competitive edge.

Access to Premium Markets

Many high-end retailers and clean-label brands, including Whole Foods, have strict ingredient guidelines that prohibit artificial colors. By using natural colors, businesses can expand their distribution opportunities and position themselves within premium, organic, and better-for-you markets.

Aligns with Consumer Preferences

Consumers today are more informed than ever about what goes into their food. There is a growing demand for ingredient transparency, with many customers actively seeking out natural alternatives to synthetic additives. Avoiding artificial colors has become a key consideration for many.

Branding Opportunities & Quality Positioning

Using natural colors allows brands to market their products as clean-label, natural, and premium. Companies that prioritize natural ingredients can leverage this in their branding, storytelling, and packaging to differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

Why Itaberco Made the Switch to Natural Colors

At Itaberco, quality isn’t just a goal—it’s a core value. Over eight years ago, we made the deliberate decision to move away from artificial colors and fully commit to natural alternatives. While artificial dyes were cost-effective and convenient, we recognized that natural colors aligned more closely with our commitment to quality, transparency, and real ingredients.

The transition wasn’t without its challenges. Natural colors can be significantly more expensive, sometimes accounting for nearly half the cost of our product’s formulation. However, we firmly believed that prioritizing quality over cost was the right move, not just for our brand, but for the professionals who rely on our products.

Beyond our internal values, we saw that the industry was evolving. Clean-label trends and increasing consumer demand for transparency were shifting the market away from artificial dyes. Even before regulatory concerns about synthetic colors like Red 3 made headlines, we had already committed to eliminating artificial colors wherever possible. Today, nearly all of our products are made exclusively with natural colors, with only a couple of exceptions due to current technological limitations.

This commitment to natural colors is part of what makes Itaberco stand out. We believe that better ingredients lead to better products, and we continue to innovate and refine our formulations to ensure stability, vibrancy, and exceptional taste without compromise!

Itaberco’s All-in-One Natural Color Solution

For many dessert and beverage professionals, sourcing and stabilizing natural colors can be a time-consuming and complex process. Transitioning from artificial dyes to natural alternatives isn’t as simple as a one-to-one swap. Reformulation, testing, and careful selection of ingredients are necessary to ensure the final product maintains its desired appearance, flavor, and stability.

We’ve eliminated these challenges by developing pre-vetted, all-in-one flavor compounds that seamlessly integrate flavor, fruit base, and natural color in a single product. This means professionals don’t have to worry about sourcing separate color additives or dealing with stability issues—we’ve done the research and testing to ensure our solutions perform consistently across applications.

Key Benefits of Itaberco’s Natural Color Solutions:

Color and flavor together in one product for easy formulation.
No refrigeration needed, solving a common issue with many liquid natural colors.
Reliable stability and consistency, reducing formulation risks.
Custom options available—if cost is a concern, we work with clients to determine how to use dyes appropriately while maintaining quality.

Because every product has unique requirements, we offer custom formulations, with about 25% of our products tailored to specific client needs. Our nimble R&D team can quickly develop small-batch solutions, making it possible for smaller businesses and specialty operations to access high-quality, natural color solutions without being priced out by large-scale production requirements.

Making the Right Color Choice for Your Menu

Take the guesswork out of working with natural colors by using our all-in-one flavor compounds. They provide color and flavor in a single, reliable product without the common challenges of natural color formulation. Whether you’re looking for a turnkey solution or a custom formulation tailored to your needs, our expert R&D team is here to help.

Contact Itaberco today to learn how our high-quality, natural color solutions can enhance your dessert and beverage creations while maintaining the consistency and performance your business needs.