Colorants have become an integral part of everyday life and we cannot do without them for fulfilling even the basic necessities of our lives. Food, clothing and shelter which form the three pillars of basic life requirements have an element of colour in some form or the other in them.

Clothing is obtained as the end product of the textile sector and a number of colorants in the form of dyes and pigments go into the textile processing so that we may have bright and attractively coloured fabrics to drape ourselves. A series of dyes such as vat dyes, acid dyes, reactive dyes, basic dyes and more are used for colouring different kinds of yarns and fabric. Vat dyes differ from the rest of the dyes though its process of application is somewhat closer to that of sulphur dyes. It is largely used for colouring the cotton yarn which goes to produce the most popular clothing material called the denim. Vat dyes manufacturers will explain the typical properties of the vat dyes that make it a popular choice in the world of denims. Good colour stability, natural colouring agent, insolubility in water, availability of wide colour range are just a few properties that make it an optimal alternative. The popularity of the blue denims has ensured the need for vat dyes and pigment blue. Today pigment blue manufacturers will confirm undoubtedly about the indispensability of this colour.

Just as in the case of clothing, colorants have permeated into the world of food and beverages too. Colour additive is any pigment or material that lends colour to food and beverages. Today with the colour of the food becoming an important consideration for determining its palatability and enjoyment its place of importance in the food industry cannot be undermined. The seasonal variation of colour in natural foods or the need for increasing the shelf life necessitates the inclusion of colour additives. Food without the colour additives would have definitely become boring and unappetizing. However, all colour additives included in food and beverages have to fulfil stringent governmental regulations. Food colour manufacturers know that food colours are classified into two categories; namely, those which are exempted from being certified and those which need certification. Colour additives that do not require certification comprise naturally sourced pigments such as from minerals, vegetables or animals as well as include manually made equivalents of natural derivatives. Either ways both the categories have to undergo strict safety standards for being approved for use in the food and beverage industry.

Similarly, the use of dyes is not without government regulations and the case of vat dyes is no different. Allergenic properties of the dyes and the level of effluent toxicity are some of the major considerations for application of regulatory prohibitions on their use. One way to tackle this issue in vat dyes is by using lesser environment harming reducing agents. A large degree of success has been obtained in this regard. However, if one has to obtain the apparent benefits in performance or cost by use of vat dyes then there can be no limit on further improvements for devising as clean process of dyeing as possible.