E-numbers / E161g Colour

Canthaxanthin

also: Canthaxanthin (C40 carotenoid)

Synthetic carotenoid (also naturally in some mushrooms and crustaceans)Vegan ✓Vegetarian ✓Halal ✓Kosher ✓

The short version

A red-orange pigment from the carotenoid family, once used to colour Strasbourg sausage under Directive 94/36/EEC, not carried into EU or UK food use when Regulation 1333/2008 replaced that directive.

Why it's worth knowing

At high cumulative doses, canthaxanthin deposits crystal particles in the retina, which can impair vision. One fatal case of aplastic anaemia was reported after high-dose tanning-pill use. Although retinal damage is linked to doses far above any food additive level, the EU did not include it in any food category permission when consolidating the additives list under Regulation 1333/2008.

What is it?

Canthaxanthin is a keto-carotenoid pigment (C40H52O2) in the same chemical family as beta-carotene and astaxanthin. It occurs naturally in chanterelle mushrooms (from which it takes its name), crustacean shells, carp, certain algae, and is responsible for the pink-red plumage of flamingos. The version used commercially is produced synthetically.

What does it do?

It acts as an intense red-orange colourant by absorbing blue-green wavelengths of light. In animal feed it transfers into muscle and egg yolk, giving farmed salmon and egg yolks a deeper colour. It was formerly used in food in tiny amounts to give Strasbourg sausage its characteristic reddish hue.

Where you will see it

Canthaxanthin is no longer used in any food sold in the UK or EU. It is still used in licensed medicines and pharmaceutical preparations. It remains authorised as an animal feed additive for farmed poultry and salmonid fish (salmon, trout) within the EU and UK, meaning trace residues may be present in farmed fish and poultry products, though regulated residue limits apply. On a food ingredient label it would appear as E161g or canthaxanthin, but you should not encounter it on any current UK food product.

What the science says

Retinal crystal deposits

At high cumulative doses, canthaxanthin deposits as crystalline particles in the inner layers of the retina, particularly around the macula. This was first documented in people taking large doses of canthaxanthin as a tanning supplement. Crystals are visible as a 'donut' ring of gold-yellow flecks on eye examination. Most people with deposits have no symptoms, but some develop reduced visual acuity or visual field loss. The condition is generally reversible after stopping intake, though crystals can persist for years.

Retinal crystal deposits were found in 50% of people who had taken a cumulative total dose of more than 37g of canthaxanthin, and in 100% of those who had taken more than 60g. All cases involved tanning-pill use, not food additive exposure.

Beaulieu et al., Case Reports in Ophthalmological Medicine (review of published case series)2013observational

EFSA set the acceptable daily intake (ADI) at 0.03 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, based directly on the formation of crystalline deposits in the retina observed in both monkeys and humans. The ADI was derived from a no-observed-adverse-effect level of 0.25 mg/kg bw/day for changes in night-vision function (scotopic b-wave).

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources, Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of canthaxanthin (E 161 g) as a food additive, EFSA Journal2010regulatory review

The EU Scientific Committee on Food reduced the ADI from 0.05 to 0.03 mg/kg bw/day after concluding that high-dose intake induced reversible retinal crystal deposits and electroretinogram changes in humans.

EU Scientific Committee on Food, Opinion on Canthaxanthin1997regulatory

Aplastic anaemia: one fatal case report

A single published case reported fatal aplastic anaemia in a previously healthy young woman who took high-dose canthaxanthin tanning tablets. The authors noted that human safety data for oral canthaxanthin were limited and that the cosmetic use did not justify the risk. No further fatal cases have been attributed to food additive doses in the published literature. The frequency of this adverse effect is unknown.

Aplastic anaemia with a fatal outcome occurred in a previously healthy young woman after ingesting canthaxanthin provided by a commercial tanning salon. The authors concluded that the risk, however rare, could not be justified for cosmetic purposes.

Bluhm R et al., Aplastic Anemia Associated with Canthaxanthin Ingested for Tanning Purposes, JAMA1990observational

Residues in farmed fish and poultry

Canthaxanthin remains authorised as a feed additive for farmed salmon, trout, and poultry. EFSA reviewed this and concluded that residues reaching consumers through farmed fish and eggs are unlikely to push combined exposure above the ADI at current permitted feed levels. Residue limits in salmon muscle are set at 25 mg per kilogram in the EU.

EFSA's 2010 review concluded that combined exposure from food and feed additive use was unlikely to exceed the ADI of 0.03 mg/kg bw/day for either adults or children, on the basis of estimated residues in farmed fish and eggs.

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources, Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of canthaxanthin (E 161 g) as a food additive, EFSA Journal2010regulatory review

Where it stands with the regulators

Status

Not a permitted food additive in the UK or EU. Listed in the EU and UK register only because it is used in licensed medicinal products.

Legal basis

EU Regulation 1333/2008 on food additives (Annex II, Part B): canthaxanthin is listed but with the explicit note that it is not authorised in the food categories in Parts D and E. Its presence in the register reflects use in medicinal products under Directive 2009/35/EC. The UK's assimilated version of this regulation carries the same restriction. It remains authorised as an animal feed additive under separate feed legislation (EU and GB).

Maximum levels

No food use permitted. Former food use: 15 mg/kg in saucisse de Strasbourg under Directive 94/36/EEC (discontinued; not included in Regulation 1333/2008 food category permissions). Feed additive: 25 mg/kg in salmonid feed (EU); 80 mg/kg for poultry (subject to species-specific limits).

Safe-intake limit (ADI)

0.03 mg/kg body weight per day (EFSA 2010; SCF 1997; JECFA 1995)

History

Canthaxanthin was evaluated by JECFA in 1974, 1987, and 1995, and by the EU Scientific Committee on Food in 1983, 1987, and 1997. The 1997 SCF opinion reduced the ADI to 0.03 mg/kg bw/day after evidence of retinal crystal deposits. Under Directive 94/36/EEC on colours for use in foodstuffs, canthaxanthin was authorised in one food category only: saucisse de Strasbourg at 15 mg/kg. That directive was repealed when Regulation 1333/2008 came into force in January 2010. Canthaxanthin was not included in the food category permissions in Regulation 1333/2008 (Parts D and E of Annex II); it appears in Part B solely because it is used in medicinal products under Directive 2009/35/EC. EFSA completed a formal re-evaluation in 2010, confirming the ADI and noting that food exposure was unlikely to exceed it, while also noting that the substance had no current food uses. It continues to be reviewed as an animal feed additive (most recently in 2025 for its use in breeder hens).

Who should be careful

People with existing retinal conditions or eye disease should be aware that canthaxanthin accumulates in retinal tissue. It is not present in UK food products, so direct food exposure is not a current concern. Anyone taking unlicensed tanning supplements, capsules, or tablets containing canthaxanthin should stop and consult a GP. Look for the name canthaxanthin or E161g on supplement or medicine packaging.

The honest read

Cutting through the noise

The retinal and blood disorder evidence that drove the regulatory concern came almost entirely from people taking canthaxanthin in very large doses as tanning tablets, typically cumulative totals measured in tens of grams over months. The doses involved in the documented cases are orders of magnitude above what any food use would have delivered. The EU nonetheless did not carry the food use into Regulation 1333/2008, partly because there was no compelling reason to keep it and partly to stay within a comfortable margin of the ADI. The science on retinal crystal formation is well-established: dose-dependent, generally reversible, but real. The aplastic anaemia case is a single report at high supplemental doses; its generalisability is unknown. The EU's position is clear-cut: no food use is permitted, the evidence was sufficient to act on, and the substance now survives in regulation only because of its pharmaceutical role.

Related additives

Common questions

Is E161g banned in the UK?

Canthaxanthin is not authorised as a food additive in the UK or EU. It is listed in the food additive register only because it is used in licensed medicines. No UK food product may legally contain it as an added colourant. It remains permitted as an animal feed additive for farmed fish and poultry under separate legislation.

Can canthaxanthin damage your eyes?

At high cumulative doses, canthaxanthin deposits crystal particles in the retina. This was documented in people taking large-dose tanning tablets (total doses above 37g). Most cases were asymptomatic, but some caused reduced vision. The deposits are generally reversible after stopping intake. There is no documented case of retinal damage from exposure at food additive levels.

What foods contain E161g?

No UK or EU food product is currently permitted to contain E161g as an added colourant. Trace residues of canthaxanthin may be present naturally in farmed salmon or trout where it has been included in fish feed, but residue levels are regulated. Chanterelle mushrooms and some crustaceans contain it naturally.

Is E161g vegan?

The commercially produced form of canthaxanthin used in food and medicines is made synthetically. Natural canthaxanthin comes from animal and microbial sources including crustaceans and flamingos, but the synthetic version does not involve animal-derived raw materials. As it is not currently permitted in food, the vegan question is mainly relevant to pharmaceutical preparations, where the excipients (not the canthaxanthin itself) would determine vegan suitability.

Sources

Last reviewed: 20 June 2026

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