Natural Food Colors Market Expected to Reach $5.8 Billion by 2035

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Natural Food Colors Market," The natural food colors market was valued at $2.2 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $5.8 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% from 2024 to 2035.

The rising demand for functional and nutraceutical foods is significantly driving the natural food colors, as consumers increasingly seek products that offer both health benefits and visual appeal. Natural colors derived from ingredients like turmeric, beetroot, spirulina, and blueberry not only enhance the appearance of food but also deliver added nutritional value such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and immune-boosting compounds. This aligns perfectly with the clean-label movement, where consumers prefer ingredients, they recognize and trust. Functional beverages, protein bars, supplements, and wellness snacks now commonly use these natural pigments to signal health and purity, making them more attractive to health-conscious buyers. As the global focus on preventative healthcare grows—especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic—brands are reformulating with naturally derived ingredients that support holistic wellbeing, creating a strong pull for natural food colors market size in the functional food segment. 

However, complex labeling and certification requirements are becoming a major restraint for the natural food colors industry, especially as brands strive to meet diverse and often overlapping regulatory standards across global markets. Natural color formulations must now comply with clean-label expectations while also adhering to certifications like organic, non-GMO, halal, kosher, and allergen-free—each with its own rigorous verification process. This not only adds cost and time to product development but also complicates sourcing, documentation, and quality assurance processes. Additionally, varying regional regulations, such as stricter EU guidelines versus comparatively flexible U.S. labeling norms, force manufacturers to reformulate or create multiple versions of the same product for different markets. Small and midsized players find these requirements resource-intensive and may struggle to compete with larger companies that have dedicated compliance teams. As a result, regulatory complexities can delay product launches, limit innovation, and slow down-market growth for natural food colors market share. 

Further, biotechnology-driven color development in natural food colors market trends is opening exciting new opportunities in the natural food colors by addressing many of the limitations associated with traditional plant-based pigments. Through microbial fermentation and precision fermentation, scientists can now produce vibrant natural pigments—such as anthocyanins, betalains, and carotenoids—using engineered yeasts, bacteria, or algae in controlled environments. This method ensures consistent quality, higher yields, and greater sustainability, all while reducing dependency on seasonal crops or land-intensive farming. In addition, biotech allows for the customization of color stability, solubility, and intensity, making these pigments more compatible with various food matrices and processing conditions for natural food colors market growth. This is especially attractive to food and beverage manufacturers looking for scalable, eco-friendly, and cost-effective natural alternatives to synthetic dyes. As consumer, natural food colors market opportunities for clean-label and ethically produced ingredients grows, biotech-enabled solutions provide a future-ready path for innovation, allowing brands to meet health-conscious preferences without compromising on performance or aesthetic appeal. 

The natural food colors market analysis into solubility, application, color type, source, form and region. By solubility, the market is categorized by water and dye. On the basis of application, the market is divided into processed food products and beverages. Based on color type, the market is categorized into caramel, carotenoids, anthocyanins, curcumin, carmine, annatto, and chlorophyll & spirulina. By source, the market is bifurcated into plant and animal. On the basis of form, liquid and powder are covered in the report. Region wise, the natural food colors market is studied across North America which includes the U.S., Canada and Mexico; Europe includes Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy, Russia, and Rest of Europe; Asia-Pacific consists of China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Rest of Asia-Pacific; South America includes Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Rest of South America; Middle East includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, and Rest of Middle East; Africa includes South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Rest of Africa. 

Region-wise, Europe is anticipated to dominate the market with the largest share during the global natural food colors market forecast period. The region's well-established food processing industry, coupled with growing awareness about the health risks of synthetic additives, further supports the shift toward natural alternatives. Additionally, active innovation and product launches by European manufacturers, along with supportive policies promoting sustainable and organic food production, contribute to the region's leading market position with natural food colors market. 

The key players profiled in this report are Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, T. Hasegawa Co., Ltd., Kanegrade Limited, Oterra A/S, Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd., San-Ei Gen F.F.I., Inc., Hawkins Watts Limited, Robertet Group, Byrnes & Kiefer Company, Gulf Flavours & Fragrances, California Natural Color, V. MANE Fils SAS, Koninklijke DSM N.V., BioconColors, The Watkin Company, Orginor Natural SA, Givaudan SA, Nactarome S.p.A., International Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Kalsec, Inc., GNT International B.V., Vivify, Sensient Technologies Corporation, and Döhler GmbH. 

Key Findings of the Study  

• By solubility, the water segment was the highest revenue contributor to the market in 2023.  

• By application, the processed food products and beverages segment was the largest segment in 2023. 

• By color type, the carotenoids segment led the market share in 2023. 

• By source, the plant segment was the largest segment in 2023. 

• By form, the powder segment was the largest segment in 2023. 

• Region-wise, Europe was the highest revenue contributor in 2023.