Brilliant Black PN (E151)
- Food Fine
- Cosmetics Fine
What is Brilliant Black PN (E151)?
Brilliant Black PN (E151) is an artificial black-violet colouring used in sweets, desserts and fish roe. Normal amounts stay below safe limits; the gut damage seen in pigs needed doses hundreds of times higher. It's fine at normal amounts.
What does Brilliant Black PN do in cosmetics?
In cosmetics, Brilliant Black PN adds dark colour to products such as soaps and hair products. Long-term animal studies were reassuring, and no health concern has been shown on intact skin. It's fine for normal use, though modern skin studies are limited.
What is Yasno’s verdict on Brilliant Black PN?
Yasno’s verdict on Brilliant Black PN: In food: Fine. No meaningful concern at normal amounts. In cosmetics: Fine. No meaningful concern at normal amounts.
Is Brilliant Black PN allowed in the EU?
EU status of Brilliant Black PN: In food: Permitted as a food additive. In cosmetics: Permitted as a colourant in cosmetics (Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009). Conditions and limits come from the regulation cited below. Yasno summarises them and does not replace the legal text.
| Where | EU | US |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Permitted as a food additive | Not recorded |
| Cosmetics | Permitted as a colourant in cosmetics (Annex IV of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009) | Not recorded |
What else is it called?
- Black PN
- Brilliant Black BN
- Food black 1
- Brilliant black 1
- Brilliant Black
Sources
- EU Food Additives Register — POL-FAD-IMPORT-3007, European Commission (DG SANTE), 2012
- JECFA food additive database entry for Brilliant Black PN, World Health Organization / Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2019
- Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of Brilliant Black PN (E 151) as a food additive, European Food Safety Authority, 2010
Always check the physical label. Yasno describes evidence and regulatory status. It never says a product is free of an allergen or safe for you, and it is not medical advice.
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