amber
Carmines
Insect-derived red colour. Documented IgE allergen with anaphylaxis case reports.
DiCello et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1999 (carmine anaphylaxis)
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Betty Crocker Rainbow Cookie Mix 495g
Is Betty Crocker Rainbow Cookie Mix 495g low tox? Our scanner flagged 2 ingredients (2 in the caution tier) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
2 caution
2 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
Brilliant Blue Fcf
Coal-tar derived dye; absorbed through compromised gut barrier.
Full ingredients (from label)
Cookie Mix (91%): Wheat FlourSugarVegetable OilDextroseMaize StarchSaltRaising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate)Vanilla Flavour.Colourful Chocolate Buttons (9%): Milk Chocolate (61%) (Sugar, Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Flavour)SugarStabilisers (Gum Arabic, Sucrose Esters Of Fatty Acids)Glazing Agents (Shellac, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax)Colours (Caramel III, Carmines, Brilliant Blue FCF, Curcumin, Carotene)Rice StarchFlavour.
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.