Cochineal / Carmine

Natural · Pre-Columbian period to present

Source material

Dried bodies of the cochineal insect

Geography

Native to the Americas; became a major Spanish colonial trade commodity

Earliest documented use

Pre-Columbian Central and South America; adopted in Europe from the 16th century

Cost & availability

A major and highly valuable trade commodity after European contact with the Americas; still produced commercially today.

Production (historical summary)

Extracted by drying and crushing the insects, which contain a red carminic-acid compound.

Stability & lightfastness

Good; still used today in textiles, cosmetics and food colouring. (good)