LabColors (Cosmetic Grade Liquid Colorant) is a super concentrated liquid dye system that is the most reliable and easiest cosmetic colorant system you will ever use for your soaps, lotions, creams, bath salts, salt scrubs, bath bombs, bath fizzies, and other toiletry products.

How do I know which Labcolors I need?

Labcolor dyes are separated into groups by use. These groups also have subgroups of shades. Passing your mouse over the name of the subgroup will activate the link. If you make any form of Cold Process soap, choose the High pH group. All other products can choose from the Low pH or the High pH group.

How can Labcolors be used in such small amounts and still get strong colors?

The formulation is superior to all other colors on the market. The dyes are very concentrated. These formulas were designed in 1999. Hundreds of hours of work went into testing the formulas and ensuring that these colors would be cost effective and easy to use.

Are Labcolors pretty much a guaranteed colorant system?

Nothing in soap making is every guaranteed but this is the easiest, most reliable colorant system you will ever use. Once you understand the concepts in the blending chart and usage rates, you won’t want to go back to working with powders!

Will these colors in the product fade over time?

Any colorant will fade with exposure to direct sunlight. Even your clothing will fade in the direct sunlight given enough time! We recommend trying to store your soaps in the shade at outdoor craft shows. Normally exposure to lights in stores should not affect the color of your soap.

Will the colors bleed in Melt and Pour soap?

Yes. The colorants are water soluble and will bleed in melt and pour soap.

How much of the High pH basic color do I use in my soap per pound of raw soap?

We recommend between 3/4 ounce to 1 1/2 ounce of diluted color to raw, thinly traced cold process soap (Oils + lye water). This is a generalization so be sure to look up the blending information for the particular color you’re interested in.

Help! Some of my colors look like they’ve separated!? What should I do?

Colors with Ext. Violet No. 2 may get thick and need to be heated up prior to working with. Pop the color in the microwave for 10 seconds (no more!) increments and shake until the colorant is fully dispersed. Additionally, these colorants may also get a bit thick on you when working with them: Emerald, Royal Purple, Aqua, Blue Mix, Fuchsia, just remember heat will thin them out and make them easier to work with.

I followed the color chart and my soap isn’t the color that was shown on the chart. What happened?

Soap is part art and part science. There are different things that cause the colorant to react differently than the color chart. For example, high amounts of Olive oil or Hemp oil cause a more yellow base. Different fragrance oils or additives in your soap can cause differences in your color. Additionally, some computer browsers may have different outputs of the color than other browsers so keep this in mind. You can change the colors slightly by trying the small batch testing method.

How do I know what exact shade I will get when making a batch of soap?

Use Small Batch Test to test your soap color. Pull out three ounces of soap when you’re making another batch of soap. Make sure this soap is not colored with anything. Now add drops of the dye to this solution. Make sure you COUNT your drops! Each drop acts as approximately 1/8 tsp. Example: 4 drops = approximately 1/2 tsp. So if you add 4 drops, you would have the color for 1/2 tsp per Lb of soap. This will give you a pretty accurate idea of the color for your soap. Pour into a small mold, insulate and color fully. After 24 hours, this will give you a pretty good indication of the color that you will get. Make adjustments from this smaller batch. Remember, it’s always good to test with smaller (less expensive) batches than your larger batches. Keep good notes!

I added color to my Cold Process soap and the color is a strange shade of “X”. What’s going on?

Nothing bad is going on. Not to worry, your color should come around within 24 hours after making your soap. Many times, the gel phase will change the color.

I understand there will be slight differences, but how do I know exactly what to do from batch to batch to get the same color?

There is nothing to do except take very detailed batch notes. Remember, soapmaking is a science. It’s always prudent to take notes so you can replicate from batch to batch or troubleshoot should something go wrong. Always keep records of each batch, number the batch, and it is a very good idea to put this information on your soap label also. This way you can keep track of each batch if something should go wrong.

I blended up a yellow color for my soap, and the liquid is not yellow but crazy neon orange!

Don’t worry, this color is simply incredibly concentrated and looks odd in its concentrated state. Add it to your soap and it will go the correct color in 24 hours.

How do you know what color you will get with a Milk Soap?

Milk Based soaps tend to go an orange or tan because of the scalding of the milk. We recommend freezing your goatsmilk prior to mixing it with lye and using a 50% water/milk solution to cut down on the orange tan color of Milk Soap. Use the high olive oil colorants to get a more accurate color but understand that the colorant will have to overcome whatever milk-scalding color the base is. DO a small test batch before making a huge sized batch of soap.

What does “suggested maximum 1 Teaspoon per Lb.” mean?

We don’t believe you should ever use more than 1 teaspoon of colorant in any of your products. There actually should be no reason to ever go over 1 Teaspoon per lb of product with Labcolors.

Do I have to blend these with water and add preservative to use?

We have already preserved the colorants but if you heat the colorants up in the microwave or double boiler, we always recommend adding 1% Germaben II just to be on the ultra safe side.

Can I get these with no preservative?

Sorry, anything with water in it has the potential to mold so we must include a preservative of 1% in your colorants. What is the shelf life of Labcolors? If stored properly Labcolors have a shelf life of 2 years or more. We suggest replacing after two years.

Is there any way to know if my browser is reading colors differently than what the colors are?

Sorry, there is no way to determine this. DO a small test batch of the colorant in your soap recipe just to be on the safe side.

On some colors the INCI information is a lot! Do I have to list ALL of this on my label?

Yes you do. You do not need to list Distilled Water if your recipe already includes water.

Can I use Labcolors in my lip balms or Lotion Bars?

No. These colors are not made for wax or wax based cosmetics as they are water based. They will not mix into your product and instead, will puddle at the top in a color-y mess.

What does “50% Dilution” mean?

A few formulas call for “Royal Purple 50% dilution”. This means you should add an equal amount of water to the Royal Purple dye which has already been made and use this combination. DO NOT just add more water to the whole new color amount you are mixing or it will not work. Use equal parts! A “part” can be any measurement you wish, including drops, teaspoons, or anything as long as all of the parts are equal.

HINT: To preview the color in transparent melt and pour simply add a few drops to a glass of water. For opaque melt n’ pour, lotions and creams try adding a few drops into any white mild dish soap or a white hand lotion.

Micas use light reflection, refraction, and transmission to exhibit their effects much like a prism creates various colors as light passes through it. Therefore, micas work best in clear soap.

Our pigments and micas are sold by weight – not volume – so you’re getting the most for your money!

Mica Colorant Instructions:

Cold Process (CP) Soap Making:

Micas work in CP soap, but only marginally, as there is no light for reflection (since CP soap is opaque). To use it in CP soap, use 2 tsp. per pound of soap to achieve a good color. Simply add the mica directly to the soap and stir. Make sure you add it at very thin trace so that you have enough time to stir the colorant in.

Melt n ‘Pour (MP) Soap Making:

1. If you are using a clear, transparent or translucent base, we recommend about 1/2 tsp. per pound to achieve a nice, strong pearl effect.
2. You can use micas in opaque base at 1.5%-4% of the total weight to achieve good color, but micas work best in clear soap. Light is needed for the true reflective qualities of the micas to work properly.

Micas are relatively simple to use. Just add the powder to your melting soap base, wait for your base to melt and stir the micas in. If pesky little “mica bubbles” float to the top, just spray them with a bit of rubbing alcohol and you’ll see them burst open. Just stir everything in until the mica is well incorporated, then add your fragrance.

Micas can be heavy and therefore may settle out in low viscosity. To use in soaps, pour your soaps at cooler temperatures, as they will suspend the micas better. To achieve the real effect of mica in soap, the particles need to be aligned in the same direction – you can try pouring your soap and then “combing” the surface of the soap in one direction using a spatula.

You will get different results when you add micas to colored verses non-colored soaps. Having a background color enhances the effects of the mica.

Click here for the online Lye Calculator. The handy calculator will help with your formulations in making cold processed soap!