Quick summary
At a glance
Yellow 5, also called tartrazine, is a synthetic yellow food dye used to make foods, drinks, medications, and other products look brighter.
The strongest human evidence concerns behavior and attention in some children. Controlled studies have found that children may become more irritable, restless, inattentive, or have sleep disturbances after exposure to synthetic food dyes, and one well-known study found a dose-response relationship specifically with tartrazine. Other concerns—such as oxidative stress, DNA damage, and organ effects—come mainly from animal and laboratory research, but that's enough for use to fully avoid this ingredient.
What it is
Yellow 5 is a synthetic azo dye used to create bright yellow and yellow-orange colors in foods, drinks, medications, supplements, cosmetics, and other products.
It is manufactured through chemical synthesis using petroleum-derived raw materials.
Why it is used
Yellow 5 is primarily used for appearance.
Manufacturers use it to:
make foods and drinks brighter
create consistent coloring between batches
restore color lost during processing
create yellow, orange, green, and other shades when mixed with additional dyes
It provides no nutritional benefit.
Where it is commonly found
Yellow 5 can appear in:
candy and gummies
breakfast cereals
chips and flavored snacks
sports and energy drinks
soda and drink mixes
gelatin desserts
frosting and cake decorations
baked goods
macaroni and cheese products
sauces and condiments
pickles and relishes
flavored dairy products
vitamins and supplements
prescription and over-the-counter medications
cosmetics and personal-care products
A product does not necessarily have to look bright yellow to contain Yellow 5. It can be combined with other dyes to create green, orange, brown, or other colors.
What current research says
The strongest human research surrounding Yellow 5 concerns behavior and attention in children.
A 1994 double-blind, placebo-controlled study specifically tested tartrazine in children and found that a subset experienced increased irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance. The researchers tested doses ranging from 1 to 50 mg and observed a dose-response pattern, with effects lasting longer at higher doses. Importantly, not every child reacted, which supports the idea that sensitivity varies considerably between individuals.
A broader 2022 review of human and animal research on synthetic food dyes concluded that the overall human evidence supports an association between synthetic dyes and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children. The review specifically noted tartrazine-only challenge studies in addition to studies using mixtures of dyes.
The well-known 2007 Southampton study also found increased hyperactive behavior after children consumed mixtures containing artificial food colors and sodium benzoate. Yellow 5 was included in one of the mixtures. Because several additives were consumed together, however, the study cannot tell us how much of the effect came specifically from Yellow 5.
Researchers have also investigated hypersensitivity reactions. Tartrazine has been associated with hives, angioedema, and bronchospasm in a small number of sensitive individuals, but well-controlled studies suggest these reactions are uncommon. A Cochrane review found no convincing evidence that routine tartrazine avoidance improves asthma control for most people, although individuals with genuine sensitivity may still react.
Newer animal and laboratory research raises additional questions about oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and effects on organs such as the liver and nervous system. A recent review summarized multiple experimental studies reporting oxidative and genotoxic effects under certain exposure conditions. These findings are worth investigating, but they do not prove that typical dietary exposure causes the same effects in humans.
Overall, the human evidence is strongest for neurobehavioral effects in a subset of children. Evidence for long-term effects in adults remains much more limited.
Potential concerns or controversies
Behavior & Attention
Controlled human studies suggest Yellow 5 can worsen irritability, restlessness, sleep disturbance, hyperactivity, or attention-related symptoms in some children.
This does not mean Yellow 5 causes ADHD, and it does not mean every child reacts to it.
Individual Sensitivity
One of the clearest themes in the research is that some people appear much more sensitive to synthetic dyes than others.
In the 1994 tartrazine challenge study, only a subset of children showed clear behavioral reactions.
Hypersensitivity Reactions
Tartrazine has historically been linked to hives, angioedema, and respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals.
Oxidative Stress
Animal and laboratory research has reported increased oxidative stress after tartrazine exposure under certain experimental conditions.
Oxidative stress occurs when reactive molecules overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses and can contribute to cellular damage.
These findings are biologically interesting, but evidence in humans at normal dietary exposure remains limited.
DNA Damage
Several experimental studies have reported signs of genotoxicity or DNA damage in cells and animals exposed to tartrazine.
For example, one mouse study reported increased micronucleated lymphocytes following tartrazine exposure, with the greatest effect at the highest dose tested.
These findings do not prove that Yellow 5 causes DNA damage in humans, but the lack of strong human evidence also does not rule out the possibility. More direct human research is needed before the risk can be clearly understood.
Possible Organ Effects
Animal studies summarized in recent reviews have reported changes involving the liver, nervous system, and other tissues after prolonged or higher-dose tartrazine exposure.
These findings do not prove that typical Yellow 5 exposure causes the same effects in humans, but they still raise legitimate questions that deserve further study. The lack of strong human evidence does not automatically rule out the possibility of similar effects, especially with long-term or repeated exposure.
No Nutritional Benefit
Yellow 5 is primarily used to make products look more appealing.
For us, that matters. When an additive provides no nutritional advantage, even moderate uncertainty weighs more heavily in our decision about whether we want to consume it regularly.
Practical takeaway
We choose to avoid Yellow 5 for both adults and children.
The strongest human concern is its potential to affect behavior, attention, irritability, and sleep in some children. Research in adults is much more limited, which leaves important questions about how repeated or long-term exposure may affect them.
Animal and laboratory studies have also raised concerns about oxidative stress, DNA damage, and other biological effects. Those findings have not been established in humans at typical dietary exposures, but we still think they are important enough to take seriously rather than dismiss simply because more human research is needed.
Because Yellow 5 is primarily used for color and provides no nutritional benefit, we don't see much reason to regularly consume it when dye-free alternatives are readily available.
That does not mean an occasional exposure is something to panic about. Our approach is simply to minimize unnecessary exposure and choose dye-free alternatives as often as practical.
Alternative or common names
- Yellow 5 FD&C Yellow No. 5 Tartrazine E102 CI 19140
Related Better Products
Sources and references
- The Journal of Pediatrics · 1994
Controlled study specifically testing tartrazine in children. A subset experienced increased irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance, and the researchers observed a dose-response relationship.
- Environmental Health · 2022
Peer-reviewed review of clinical trials and animal evidence involving synthetic food dyes. It concluded that the human evidence supports adverse neurobehavioral effects in some children and includes studies specifically testing Yellow 5.
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · 2021
Extensive assessment of human, animal, exposure, and mechanistic evidence involving synthetic food dyes. The report concluded that synthetic dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children and specifically discusses tartrazine challenge studies.
- The Lancet · 2007
The Southampton study found increased hyperactive behavior associated with certain mixtures of artificial food colors and sodium benzoate. Yellow 5 was present in one mixture, but the design cannot isolate its individual effect.
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) · 2009
EFSA reviewed toxicological, behavioral, genotoxicity, and intolerance evidence. It retained its existing acceptable daily intake while acknowledging that tartrazine can cause intolerance reactions in a small fraction of exposed individuals.
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2001
Systematic review of randomized trials assessing tartrazine and asthma. The studies did not show meaningful worsening of asthma outcomes for most people, suggesting clinically significant tartrazine sensitivity is uncommon.
- Journal of Food Allergy · 2020
Review of adverse reactions to food additives. Tartrazine has been reported to cause urticaria or bronchospasm in a small number of individuals, but hypersensitivity to synthetic dyes appears uncommon.
- Toxics · 2025
Recent review examining laboratory and animal evidence involving oxidative stress, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, liver effects, and behavioral changes. Many findings are experimental and have not been established in humans.
- Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pu00fablica · 2021
Mouse study reporting increased micronucleated lymphocytes following tartrazine exposure, with the greatest effect at the highest experimental dose. Animal findings do not establish equivalent DNA damage in humans.