The additives, at a glance
The Southampton Six carry the UK warning label. The rest are worth knowing about. Tap a card to read the pharmacist's note, with halal status and the cleaner-label swap.
Where these show up
The same handful of additives turn up in predictable places. These are categories, not brands: formulations change, so always check the current label.
Five things people get wrong
Plain corrections, from the regulators and the primary evidence.
Children's OTC medicines
Children's liquid medicines sometimes contain one of the six colours that carry the UK warning label. The active ingredient is the medicine. The colour is cosmetic. A colour-free version of the same active ingredient is usually on the same shelf or behind the counter.
How to check your child's OTC medicine
Take the bottle or carton off the shelf, find the ingredients list (the excipients), and paste it into the Paste ingredients tab above. The tool reads it the same way it reads any food label.
If anything in the Southampton Six is in there (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129), the tool will show you. Then ask your pharmacist for a colour-free version of the same active ingredient. Most pharmacies stock one.
Always speak to your pharmacist before changing a child's medicine. The cosmetic colour is not the medicine. The active ingredient and the dose are what matter clinically. The colour is what matters for the Southampton question.
Your label-reading summary
A saved summary of every additive you have looked up or detected, with what each one is and the cleaner-label swap.
Save your label-reading summary
Keep a summary of the additives you have searched or detected, each with its cleaner-label swap, in one place you can return to.
If your child has attention or activity differences
This tool is one input among many. NICE guidance (NG87) advises against routinely removing artificial colours as a generally applicable treatment for ADHD, but it does recommend asking about foods and drinks that seem to influence behaviour, keeping a simple diary, and referring to a paediatric dietitian if the diary supports a pattern. The Southampton research and the UK warning label are good reasons to read the label. The structured way to find out whether your child is in the responsive subgroup is to remove, then reintroduce, alongside clinical care. Speak to your GP or pharmacist.
Worth thinking through
- Many medicines come in a colour-free version. If a specific one matters to you, the packaging or your pharmacist can tell you what is available.
- If you suspect a link between a food and how your child behaves, the structured route is a simple food diary, and a paediatric dietitian can help you read it.
- If your child reacts to one specific product, the simplest first step is usually to remove that product and see what changes.
- NICE guidance (NG87) sets out what the evidence says about diet and behaviour. A GP or pharmacist can talk you through how it applies to your situation.
Remove harm before adding benefit
We start with what's worth removing, because removing the regulator-flagged stuff is the simplest step, the cheapest step, and the step that doesn't ask you to add a single new thing to the cupboard. Once that's done, the rest of the conversation about what to add is easier to have.
Where to go next
Toxic Load Audit £19
Want the full picture of your household's exposure load? The Toxic Load Audit asks 49 questions across food, water, air, skin and home. It produces a personalised priority list, in the same plain-English pharmacist voice.
Complete E-Number Encyclopaedia Coming soon
Every E-number, in plain English, with the current UK regulatory status. The reference you'll come back to.
Personal Behaviour and Diet Audit Coming soon
If you suspect a link between what your child eats and how they behave, this is the structured 'n-equals-one' trial protocol: diary, elimination, reintroduction, with the questions to take to your dietitian and GP.