Pigments & Colour Theory
Organic versus inorganic pigment, the iron oxides behind most lip formulas, undertones and colour correction, warm and cool families, carriers and viscosity, and the REACH restriction.
7 articles
Pigments & Colour Theory
Organic vs Inorganic Pigments
Inorganic iron oxides are muted, opaque, stable and fade true; organic pigments are bright, translucent, strong and fade unpredictably. Most lip formulas blend both, weighted toward iron oxide.
May 4, 2025 · 6 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Iron Oxides: The Backbone of Lip Pigment
CI 77491 (red), CI 77492 (yellow) and CI 77499 (black) — three iron oxides — mix to almost every natural lip tone. They are ancient, well tolerated and fade honestly, with two quirks worth knowing.
May 1, 2025 · 6 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Understanding Undertones
The healed lip colour is the pigment plus the client's natural lip tone plus their skin's warmth, seen through thin tissue. Reading all three undertones — and choosing pigment to counter or complement them — is the core colour skill.
April 28, 2025 · 6 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Colour Correction for Dark Lips
Naturally deep, bluish or hyperpigmented lips are neutralised with warm complementary pigment — usually an orange or gold corrector — across one or more dedicated sessions before, or blended into, the blush.
April 25, 2025 · 7 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Warm vs Cool Lip Pigment Families
Warm pigments (orange, coral, brick, warm brown) flatter most people and heal safest because they resist the universal cool-ward fade; true cool pinks and berries are possible but need the right client and a warm safety net.
April 22, 2025 · 6 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Carriers, Viscosity and Why Pigments Behave Differently
The liquid a pigment is suspended in — water, glycerin, alcohol, witch hazel — sets how it flows, how fast it dries on the skin, how it implants and how long an open cup stays usable.
April 19, 2025 · 5 min read
Pigments & Colour Theory
Pigment Regulation and the EU REACH Restriction
Since 2022, EU rules under REACH restrict thousands of substances in tattoo and PMU inks, banning some previously common pigments (notably Blue 15 and Green 7) and forcing reformulation. Other regions regulate more lightly.
April 16, 2025 · 7 min read