FD&C Blue #1.
A synthetic blue dye added to make your supplement look a certain color. Zero health value. A synthetic blue colourant. It gives a tablet, capsule or drink powder a consistent blue shade and carries no nutritional role of its own.
Reviewed March 2026
- Category
- General
- Also filed under
- Provides consistent product appearance
What FD&C Blue #1 is, and what it does.
- Does it work
- It matters if you want to tell two similar tablets apart, and to a brand keeping shade consistent. Anyone avoiding artificial colours will want to check the label.
- How much to take
- There is no amount to take. It is added at the tiny level a shade needs, and no daily figure is on record because it is not an active.
- Time to feel it
- It dissolves along with the tablet or capsule within minutes of swallowing and passes through. It is a colourant, not an active, so it has no onset of its own.
- The first dose
- The dye dissolves with the tablet within minutes and passes through. Some people see a blue-green tinge in stool at higher intakes, and that is the only visible sign.
- With regular use
- It has no nutritional role and does not build up in tissue, so weeks of use change nothing physiologically. What it holds steady over time is a product's appearance.
- How well tolerated
- FDA-approved. Generally well tolerated at the tiny amounts used.
- How it feels
- No taste and no sensation at the level used for colour. What you register is the look of the tablet, which is the whole reason it is in there.
- The overlooked benefit
- Colour is how a person tells two similar looking tablets apart in a pill organiser, so a distinct shade does real work at the point of taking a dose.
The proof, claim by claim.
These words describe the research, not the molecule's worth. Research strength is how much work stands behind one claim, and it is never a product score.
- Well tolerated at food-grade doses
- Linked to hyperactivity in children
Questions people ask about FD&C Blue #1.
- Should I avoid artificial colors in supplements?
- Health-wise, the amounts are too small to matter. But if you prefer clean-label products, natural color alternatives exist.
- Is this banned anywhere?
- No. It's approved in the US, EU, and most countries. Some products voluntarily avoid it for marketing reasons.
- Can it stain?
- In concentrated form, yes. At supplement amounts, you won't notice any staining.
No pairing data for FD&C Blue #1 yet.
Nothing on file for FD&C Blue #1, either from a combination trial or from settled biochemistry. When either lands, it appears here with its source.
Stitching two separate single-ingredient studies into a pairing is the one thing this engine will not do. When a study of the combination itself holds up at source, it lands here with its citation.
No invented synergy. Where actives were studied on their own rather than together, each shows on its own evidence, never a combined effect no trial measured.
Research strength. Research strength says how much work stands behind the combination. It is never a product score.
Independent record. Every finding is cited to a named trial, dated, and never written by the brand.
24 pairings are live across the library today. Checked 25 August 2026.
Talk to a doctor before taking FD&C Blue #1 if any of these apply to you: Synthetic dye with no health benefit, Some individuals may be sensitive, Controversial for children (CSPI recommends avoidance). These are flags to check first, not effects FD&C Blue #1 is known to cause.
Not medical advice. Show the label to your pharmacist.FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.
