This is day 2 of our 7 day countdown to Valentine’s Day.

The Color Of Love

The color RED has long been associated with St. Valentine’s Day. It’s the color of the blood the runs through our hearts so it’s not surprising it’s always been linked to love and passion.

Today we see the color of passion reflected in fashion and cosmetics. Everyone has (or should have!) a sexy red lipstick or nail polish for special romantic occasions. (Revlon’s Poppysilk Red Lipstick and OPI`s I`m Not Really A Waitress nail polish come to mind.) These products and many others exist thanks to the miracle of modern chemistry which has given us colorants such as FD&C Red No. 40 and D&C Red No. 33.

Of course, we weren’t always lucky enough to have such a rainbow of reds to choose from. Originally red dye came from a more natural, yet more disgusting, source: crushed insect bodies. The cochineal insect be precise.

Red Dye From Dead Bugs

These bugs grow in certain varieties of cacti. They’re hand picked and immersed in hot water to kill them and to dissolve waxy coating of their shells. The dead bugs are dried in the sun and then ground into a fine powder that can used as dye for fabrics, foods, and cosmetics.

Today, modern chemistry can synthetically create a wide variety of red dyes so we don’t have to rely on picking bugs off cacti to make our pucker look pretty. And that’s just one more reason to be thankful for cosmetic chemists!

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