FD&C Blue No. 1

E number E133INS 133CAS 3844-45-9

Used as a colour.

FD&C Blue No. 1, known internationally as Brilliant Blue FCF, is a synthetic blue dye used in drinks, confectionery, ice cream and icings, often blended with yellow dyes to make greens.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of FD&C Blue No. 1 by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions

Subject to batch certification by FDA.

21 CFR 74.101retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

65 food categories

highest permitted level 500 mg/kg

Show every food category
  • 01.1.4 Flavoured Fluid Milk Drinks — 150 mg/kg
  • 01.6.2.2 Rind of ripened cheese — 100 mg/kg
  • 01.6.5 Cheese analogues — 100 mg/kg
  • 01.7 Dairy-based desserts (e.g. pudding, fruit or flavoured yoghurt) — 150 mg/kg
  • 02.3 Fat emulsions mainly of type oil-in-water, including mixed and/or flavoured products based on fat emulsions — 100 mg/kg
  • 02.4 Fat-based desserts excluding dairy-based dessert products of food category 01.7 — 150 mg/kg
  • 03.0 Edible ices, including sherbet and sorbet — 150 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.11 Fruit fillings for pastries — 250 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) fruit — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.5 — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.6 Fruit-based spreads (e.g. chutney) excluding products of food category — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.7 Candied fruit — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.8 Fruit preparations, including pulp, purees, fruit toppings and coconut milk — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.1.2.9 Fruit-based desserts, incl. fruit-flavoured water-based desserts — 150 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.3 Vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds in vinegar, oil, brine, or soybean sauce — 500 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.4 Canned or bottled (pasteurized) or retort pouch vegetables (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), and seaweeds — 200 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.6 Vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera), seaweed, and nut and seed pulps and preparations (e.g. vegetable desserts and sauces, candied vegetables) other than food category 04.2.2.5 — 100 mg/kg
  • 04.2.2.7 Fermented vegetable (including mushrooms and fungi, roots and tubers, pulses and legumes, and aloe vera) and seaweed products, excluding fermented soybean products of food categories 06.8.6, 06.8.7, 12.9.1, — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.1.3 Cocoa-based spreads, incl. fillings — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.1.4 Cocoa and chocolate products — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.1.5 Imitation chocolate, chocolate substitute products — 100 mg/kg
  • 05.2 Confectionery including hard and soft candy, nougats, etc. other than food categories 05.1, 05.3, and 05.4 — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.3 Chewing gum — 300 mg/kg
  • 05.4 Decorations (e.g. for fine bakery wares), toppings (non-fruit), and sweet sauces — 500 mg/kg
  • 06.3 Breakfast cereals, including rolled oats — 200 mg/kg
  • 06.5 Cereal and starch based desserts (e.g. rice pudding, tapioca pudding) — 150 mg/kg
  • 06.8.1 Soybean-based beverages — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.1.1 Yeast-leavened breads and specialty breads — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.1.2 Soda breads — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.2 Crackers, excluding sweet crackers — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.3 Other ordinary bakery products (e.g. bagels, pita, English muffins) — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.4 Bread-type products, including bread stuffing and bread crumbs — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.5 Steamed breads and buns — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.1.6 Mixes for bread and ordinary bakery wares — 100 mg/kg
  • 07.2 Fine bakery wares (sweet, salty, savoury) and mixes — 200 mg/kg
  • 08.0 Meat and meat products, including poultry and game — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.1.1 Fresh fish — 300 mg/kg
  • 09.1.2 Fresh molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.2.1 Frozen fish, fish fillets, and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.2.2 Frozen battered fish, fish fillets and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.2.3 Frozen minced and creamed fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.1 Cooked fish and fish products — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.2 Cooked molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 100 mg/kg
  • 09.2.4.3 Fried fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.3.1 Fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms, marinated and/or in jelly — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.3.2 Fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, pickled and/or in brine — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.3.3 Salmon substitutes, caviar and other fish roe products — 500 mg/kg
  • 09.4 Fully preserved, including canned or fermented fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — 500 mg/kg
  • 10.1 Fresh eggs — GMP
  • 10.4 Egg-based desserts (e.g. custard) — 150 mg/kg
  • 12.2.2 Seasonings and condiments — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.4 Mustards — 100 mg/kg
  • 12.5 Soups and broths — 50 mg/kg
  • 12.6 Sauces and like products — 100 mg/kg
  • 13.3 Dietetic foods intended for special medical purposes (excluding products of food category 13.1) — 50 mg/kg
  • 13.4 Dietetic formulae for slimming purposes and weight reduction — 50 mg/kg
  • 13.5 Dietetic foods (e.g. supplementary foods for dietary use) excluding products of food categories — 300 mg/kg
  • 13.6 Food supplements — 300 mg/kg
  • 14.1.4 Water-based flavoured drinks, including "sport," “energy,” or "electrolyte" drinks and particulated drinks — 100 mg/kg
  • 14.2.2 Cider and perry — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.4 Wines (other than grape) — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.6 Distilled spirituous beverages containing more than 15% alcohol — 200 mg/kg
  • 14.2.7 Aromatized alcoholic beverages (e.g. beer, wine and spirituous cooler-type beverages, low-alcoholic refreshers) — 200 mg/kg
  • 15.1 Snacks - potato, cereal, flour or starch based (from roots and tubers, pulses and legumes) — 200 mg/kg
  • 15.2 Processed nuts, including coated nuts and nut mixtures (with e.g. dried fruit) — 100 mg/kg
CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 133and 64 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

A triarylmethane dye built from petroleum-derived aromatic amines and benzaldehyde intermediates. No animal-derived material is involved.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
3844-45-9
InChIKey
SGHZXLIDFTYFHQ-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 19700

Every name it appears under

64 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E133

INS number

  • 133

CAS registry number

  • 3844-45-9

As it appears in regulation

  • FD&C Blue No. 1

Other names

  • 1206 Blue
  • Acid Blue 9;FD&C Blue No. 1;E133
  • Acid Sky Blue A
  • Aizen Food Blue No. 2
  • Blue 1206
  • Blue FCF
  • blue no. 1
  • Brilliant Blue
  • brilliant blue diammonium salt
  • Brilliant Blue E 133
  • Brilliant Blue FCF
  • Brilliant Blue FCF (Technical Grade)
  • Brilliant Blue FCF supra
  • brilliant blue FCF, diammonium salt
  • Brilliant blue FCF, disodium salt
  • brilliant blue, disodium salt
  • C.I. ACID BLUE 9, DISODIUM SALT
  • Canacert Brilliant Blue FCF
  • CCRIS 97
  • CI Food Blue 2
  • Cosmetic Blue Lake
  • COVACAP BLEU W 6102
  • D&C Blue No. 1
  • Dolkwal Brilliant Blue
  • Dolkwalbrilliantblue
  • E 133
  • Erioglaucin A
  • Erioglaucine disodium salt
  • FD & C Blue no. 1
  • FD&C Blue No. 1
  • FDC Blue No. 1
  • Fenazo Blue XI
  • Food Blue 1
  • Food Blue 2
  • Food Blue Dye No. 1
  • Food Blue No. 1
  • H3R47K3TBD
  • Hexacol Brilliant Blue A
  • HSDB 7972
  • INS NO.133
  • INS-133
  • Intracid Pure Blue L
  • Japan Blue 1
  • Japan Blue No. 1
  • Merantine Blue EG
  • Modr Brilantni FCF
  • Modr Kysela 9
  • Modr Potravinarska 2
  • PPQ093M8HR
  • Usacert Blue No. 1
  • Usacert FD and C Blue No. 1
  • VIBRACOLOR BLUE ABL9

Systematic names

  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(2-sul-fophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, Hydroxide, Inner Salt, Disodium Salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, hydroxide, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, inner salt, disodium salt
  • Benzenemethanaminium, N-ethyl-N-(4-((4-(ethyl((3-sulfophenyl)methyl)amino)phenyl)(2-sulfophenyl)methylene)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene)-3-sulfo-, inner salt, sodium salt (1:2)
  • Benzenemethanaminium,N-ethyl-N-[4-[[4-[ethyl[(3-sulfophenyl)methyl]amino]phenyl](2-sulfophenyl)methylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene]-3-sulfo-, inner salt, disodiumsalt
  • Disodium 2-((4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)amino)phenyl)(4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)iminio)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)methyl)benzenesulfonate
  • disodium;2-[[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]amino]phenyl]-[4-[ethyl-[(3-sulfonatophenyl)methyl]azaniumylidene]cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene]methyl]benzenesulfonate
  • Sodium 2-((4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)amino)phenyl)(4-(ethyl(3-sulfonatobenzyl)iminio)cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)methyl)benzenesulfonate

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI6 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSA FEEDAP2013
ADI6 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSAnot identified in the dataset

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/fd-and-c-blue-no-1.json