Starbucks has declared that it will no longer use cochineal extract, an insect-derived red coloring, in its wares. If anyone is imagining that the use of this dye is rare or new, they’re ...

“The male is sacrificed for the beauty of the female. ... Essentially, the cochineal are collected, quickly killed with a dunk in hot water, and then dried and crushed to extract the red pigment.

When crushed, its body exudes a brilliant red color. Cochineal has been used as a coloring for foods and makeup for centuries. It's all natural. It's approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Cochineal extract, also known as carmine, natural red 4, or E120, is a natural dye derived from the cochineal bug. Despite its “icky” origins, this FDA-approved additive is widely used for its ...

Fiegl, Amanda. "Scientists Make Red Food Dye from Potatoes, Not Bugs." National Geographic. 19 September 2013. Horovitz, Bruce. "Vegans Bash Starbucks for Beetle Coloring in Frappuccinos." ...

Madder, cochineal, Mauveine; Dyes have incited murder and subterfuge, made and lost fortunes and turned clothes into a status symbol for thousands of years. A new book examines why.

Self-respecting monarchs, he says, could not afford to be seen in anything less. The price of “cactus blood” skyrocketed. Fortunes were made. Cochineal became Mexico’s biggest export after ...

Whichever process you use, it takes a whopping 70,000 cochineal bugs to make just 1 pound of cochineal dye. Peru alone produces 200 tons of the dye each year. Screengrab from rural3saderlan on YouTube ...

Cochineal bugs — oval-shaped scale insects around 0.2 inches long — are harvested and turned into the natural dyes cochineal extract, carmine, and the pure pigment carminic acid.

This article was originally published with the title “ Cochineal Cultivation in Teneriffe ” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 30 (April 1858), p. 237 doi:10.1038 ...