E132Colour

Indigotine

What the research shows

Prototype

Not enough

published research on this page yet

1 health finding on this page so far · See the findings

A blue colour made from indigo.

It gives food a blue colour.

Written from English Wikipedia1

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Animal and lab studies only

  • No harm found

    Testes health2

    In animal studies, indigo carmine did not show the severe testes effects seen in an earlier study.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 4,293 products on Open Food Facts that list indigotine.

  • Sachet de skittles aux fruits Skittles · 152 g 13 additives
  • Fruits Skittles Skittles · 136 g 13 additives
  • Skittles Wrigley · 45. g 11 additives
  • Skittles Mars norge · 174 g 14 additives
  • TRAIL MIX KIRKLAND Signature · 57 g (2 OZ) 9 additives
  • Trail Mix Kirkland · 1.81 kg 9 additives

References

  1. 1Indigo carmine. Wikipedia. Accessed September 25, 2026.
  2. 2Younes M, Aquilina G, Degen G, et al. Follow-up of the re-evaluation of indigo carmine (E 132) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2023;21(7):e08103. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8103