E160A · Colours

Carotenes

No known risk colournatural origin

Natural orange pigment, provitamin A.

Category: Colours
Vegan: maybe
Vegetarian: maybe
From palm oil: maybe

What it is

Carotenes (E160a), particularly Beta-carotene, are natural orange-yellow pigments. They are found abundantly in nature, famously giving carrots, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes their bright orange colour.

How it is used in food

Acts as provitamin A.

Commonly found in

Margarine and butter (to give a golden yellow look)
Orange juices and multivitamin drinks
Yoghurts and dairy desserts
Clean-label candies

Health and safety

None known; eating excess just turns skin harmlessly orange.

Carotenes are exceptionally safe and actually beneficial to health. The human body naturally converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A (retinol) exactly as needed. Excess amounts are simply stored safely in fat or excreted.

Harmless orange skin (Carotenosis)

general population · evidence: established

Eating massive amounts of carotenes can cause the skin to temporarily turn yellow or orange. This is completely harmless and reverses when intake drops.

EFSA re-evaluation of carotenes

Your body converts it to vitamin A as needed, storing excess harmlessly in fat.

Regulatory status

Region	Status	Notes
Australia & New Zealand FSANZ	Permitted	Permitted.
European Union EFSA / European Commission	Permitted	Authorised for food use under EU regulations (Annex II).
United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration)	Permitted	Approved and exempt from certification.

Identification on labels

E-number: E160a
Colour index: 75130

Also printed asBeta-carotene · Carotene · Mixed carotenes

How it is made

E160a can be extracted naturally from plants (like carrots and palm oil), fermented by specific fungi (Blakeslea trispora), or synthesized chemically to be identical to nature.

Extraction or Synthesis — Extracted with solvents from carrots/algae, or synthesized via fermentation/chemical processes.

Worth knowing

The same pigment found in carrots and pumpkins.

Conclusion

E160a is the gold-standard clean-label coloring. It is widely used to replace controversial artificial dyes like Tartrazine (E102) and Sunset Yellow (E110).

References

EFSA evaluation of E160a — EFSA
EFSA re-evaluation of carotenes — EFSA

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Entry last reviewed 2026-07-28.

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