FAQ – Color Powder

The amount of color powder we recommend depends on the type of event you’re having.  See the details below for recommendations and please contact us with any additional questions:

Color Runs – a minimum of 1/2 lb. of bulk powder per participant

Holi Festivals – a minimum of 3 color powder packets per participant

Group Color Toss – a minimum of one packet per participant

Powder Battles – a minimum of 1 lb. of bulk powder or two pre-filled squeeze bottles per participant

Party Paint Event – approximately 2 quarts per participant

This product is not recommended for indoor use. Recommended outdoor usage in well ventilated open space. Those who have compromised respiratory systems, asthma or are allergic to any of the ingredients, should take necessary precautions to avoid health issues. Product is not intended for food or human consumption.

PurColour Color Powder is designed to be impermanent and washable.  Typical machine washing with laundry detergent removes any residual colorant from clothes and bar soap for the shower, or dish soap removes residual powder from skin.  We recommend ‘blow off’ stations (ie leaf blower stations) where the participants can get excess powder blown off before they leave the event.  Removal of excess powder is recommended before applying any water. Water or leaf blowers will remove PurColour Color Powder from paved areas or grass.

PurColour Color Powder, Neon/AfterDark powder is environmentally friendly.  No ecological hazards are associated with this product. They can be easily washed or blown from event areas and are designed to be washable and not to stain.

Yes.  Electronic versions are available for download or can be emailed upon request.  An SDS is attached to all order confirmation emails.

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

In 2012, the US adopted the 16 section Safety Data Sheet to replace Material Safety Data Sheets. This became effective on December 1, 2013. These new Safety Data Sheets comply with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). By June 1, 2016, employers are required to have their workplace labeling and hazard communication programs updated as necessary – including all MSDS’s replaced with SDS-formatted documents.

Click on the links below to view/download PurColour Color Powder Safety Data Sheets:

PurColour 2022_SDS_General_GHS.pdf

PurColour 2022_SDS_AfterDark_Neon_GHS.pdf

The product is nonflammable as a dust layer.  The product contains natural organic fire retardant material and natural non-flammable inert material in a proprietary blend that dramatically reduces the risk of an explosion in a dust cloud at certain concentrations.

Water spray, foam and dry chemical.  Use of water jets may cause explosive dust conditions.  Do not use CO2 (carbon dioxide fire extinguishers) for outdoor dust fires.   CO2 fire extinguishers are ineffective at extinguishing outdoor dust fires because they may not be able to displace enough oxygen to successfully put the fire out and they can cause the dust to spread, smolder and re-ignite.

The use of water misters is a highly effective method for reducing dust while also creating an open air cooling effect for outdoor events.  Misters can be purchased at most big box stores or larger portable systems are available as rental items.

Misters reduce dust in the air by trapping dust in water particles and causing it to fall out of the air.  Below are links to mister rentals and purchase sites.

http://www.advancedmistingsystems.com

We can blend most custom colors.  A sample color swatch can be emailed and we can make a sample color for your approval.

Please contact us for more details.

Keep in mind, Gulal and Holi are not regulated items. The manufacturer can use any industrial pigment to color Gulal/Holi powder.  They are not required to use certified FD&C colorants or non-certified FD&C colorants.  This is how manufacturers in India can produce low cost Gulal/Holi powder.

Do not confuse certified colors with their uncertified counterparts. For example, FD&C Yellow No. 5 is the certified form of tartrazine, and is approved for use in food, drugs and cosmetics – generally. But tartrazine, which has not undergone FDA analysis and received FDA certification, must not be substituted for or identified in an ingredient declaration as FD&C Yellow No. 5.

Do not confuse certified colors with colors identified only by a Colour Index (CI) number, or by the E number sometimes used in European color identification.

Both view food colorant as a food additive.  In the US, FDA mandates that each color be certified and placed on the ingredient list of food, drugs and cosmetics.

The following is an excerpt from the MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE Food Safety and Standards Authority of India; ”extraneous addition of coloring matter to be mentioned on the label – Where an extraneous coloring matter has been added to any article of food, there shall be displayed one of the following: statements in capital letters, just beneath the list of the ingredients on the label attached to any package of food so coloured, namely:

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL COLOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S)

Provided that where such a statement is displayed along with the name or INS no of the food colour, the colour used in the product need not be mentioned in the list of ingredients.”

There are NO fluorescent or glow in the dark color additives approved for FOOD usage.  However, there are colorants approved for cosmetic usage.

Fluorescent colors: Only the following fluorescent colors are approved for use in cosmetics, and there are limits on their intended uses: D&C Orange No. 5, No. 10, and No. 11; and D&C Red No. 21, No. 22, No. 27, and No. 28 [21 CFR 74.2254, 74.2260, 74.2261, 74.2321, 74.2322, 74.2327, and 74.2328].

Below is a link to the FDA standards and usage restrictions.

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/

Glow-in-the-dark colors: Luminescent zinc sulfide is the only approved glow-in-the-dark color additive (cosmetics) [21 CFR 73.2995] and there are limits and restrictions to use.

Below is a link to the FDA standards and usage restrictions.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2002-title21-vol1/xml/CFR-2002-title21-vol1-sec73-2995.xml