Lake Colors vs. Pigments: What Sets Them Apart?
Lake colors are a type of pigment; however, they are different from other dyes and pigments in a few ways. When selecting between lake colors and pigments, it’s important to consider the application, ingredients, desired texture or color, and other finished product characteristics of both. This blog post will walk you through the difference between lake colors and pigments.
Although lake colors behave similarly to pigments, there are some key differences in how they function. Lakes are bound to a chemical substrate, including calcium, aluminum, talcum, or barium to create insoluble products. Nonetheless, this class of pigments is prone to de-lake-ing and bleeding when used in unsuitable ways.
If you are still wondering what is the key difference between lake colors and pigments, continue reading this blog further.
So, without any further ado, let’s dive right in!
What are Lake Colors?
Lake colors are pigments that are insoluble in water and are used as food coloring to produce colors, including food, cosmetics, and more. Several salts precipitate together with soluble dyes to create different types of lake colors.
As a result, lake colors are manufactured using FD&C dyes, making it easier to mix them with fats, sugars, and oils. FD&C dyes and uses of coloring are widespread in various industrial applications, such as foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
Additionally, lake colors are used where dyes are unsuitable due to their solubility in water. Lake colors are one of the brightest and most consistent lake colors available in the industry.
Key Features of Lake Colors
Some key features of lake colors include:
- Oil Dispersibility
Chocolates, foundations, blushes, lipsticks, and coated tablets all benefit from its excellent oil and fat dispersion.
- Heat Stability
Lake colors stand in higher temperatures making them an ideal choice for baked goods and other products that require good stability to products during manufacturing and storage of products.
- Water-Insolubility
Lake colors are water-insoluble, making them the best option for products with greater oil, or fat bases. This property of lake colors makes them a good choice for products with multiple colors or layers since lake colors do not cause any bleeding on products.
- Usage in Food and Pharma
Lake colors around the world are used in different products, but food and pharmaceutical products are predominantly used. It is a common ingredient in confectionery, baked goods, and dairy products to use lake colors. Lake colors are frequently used in pharmaceuticals to give tablets and pills long-lasting coloring.
Benefits of Lake Colors
- Lake colors are used as coloring agents to provide colors to various products, including foods, drugs, and cosmetics.
- Lake colors have great versatility and can be adapted easily.
- Lake colors have strong stability and do not bleed easily compared to dyes that can be dissolved in water.
- It is easier to combine & mix lake colors with fats, vegetable oils, cosmetic oils, and other products.
- Lake colors can be easily found in various color concentrations.
What are Pigments?
Pigments are powder or color substances used to color products to make them more appealing and visually attractive. These are pigments used for cosmetics and various other home care and skin care products. Water or other mediums cannot dissolve pigments since they are chemically unreactive; dyes, on the other hand, are colored substances that are soluble or go into solution when used.
There is a difference between dyes and pigments in terms of whether they are organic or inorganic. Both pigments are insoluble in water: pigment molecules are highly colored but are insoluble in water partially or completely. Due to pigments’ soluble nature, dyes cannot be dissolved without a binding agent (or binder).
Furthermore, there have been a lot of advancements in pigment technology for environmental safety, making them the perfect choice for cosmetics and home care products.
Key Features of Pigments
The following are some key features of pigments, including:
- Wide Color Range
It is possible to create a variety of products with pigments by mixing certified synthetic colors or earth tones, which makes them suitable for creating products that distinguish themselves from one another.
- Heat and Light Resistance
Pigments like inorganic pigments offer greater resistance to environmental factors, including high temperatures and UV radiation.
- Use in Non-Food Applications
Pigments are most commonly used in non-food products, including home care, personal care, coatings, cosmetics, and other non-consumable items.
- Particle-Based Coloring
There is no dissolution of pigments in numerous products, but rather a suspension of these pigments in the media that gives them opacity and rich color.
Benefits of Pigments
Here are the top benefits of pigments, including:
- Pigment colors are derived synthetically and are not only environment-friendly, however, they are safe, less toxic, and cause less pollution.
- Color pigments have an advantage over dyes in that they retain color for a long period and can endure intense heat, light, and weather conditions.
- Pigment colors are used as color additives to provide a wide variety of textiles, fashion products, and other applications.
- Color pigments can be purchased very cheaply and are extremely inexpensive when used for dyeing.
Conclusion
In the bottom line, it can be said that identifying the main difference between lake colors and pigments is crucial to making the right color selection for your business applications. If you are creating confectioneries and drinks items, or trying to create opacity in cosmetics and personal care products, selecting the right color is crucial.
It’s important to ensure your products’ colors meet all the regulatory standards to develop a brand image so that people begin to trust your products, leading to product sales and brand recognition more efficiently. Are you an industrialist or individual professional looking for more information on a wide range of lake colors, dyes, or pigments we produce at Hridhan Chem, don’t be shy to get in touch with us today!
