Table of Contents

Dye

White pigment

Lithopone is a white inorganic pigment with a bluish tint, with good coverage. A mixture of zinc sulfide and barium sulfate. It is used in putties and oil paints, varnishes, graphic paints, as a filler and direct coloring substance, in the paper industry, rubber industry, for the manufacture of tablecloths, linoleum, bakelite, celluloid. 1)

Green dye

Turmeric is a green dye found naturally in the feathers of some birds of the turmeric family. It is one of the very few green pigments found in bird feathers. The feathers of most other species turn green due to the refraction of light on the feather structure. Turqueridin was first isolated and described in 1882 by C. F. W. Krukenberg. 2)

Red organic dye

Turacine is a unique red organic dye found naturally only in the feathers of some members of the aurochs family. This copper-containing compound is responsible for the reddish-purple color of the plumage of aurochs. When exposed to moisture it turns dark blue. Other bird species owe similar colors mainly to carotenoids derived from plants. 3)

Henna

Lawsonia inermis is native to the tropical areas of Africa and Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka). Powdered and boiled in water Lawsonia leaves and shoots are used to produce orange-red dye called henna, the oldest Old World cosmetic still used today. It was first used by the Egyptians and is also quoted in the Bible. The flowers produce an essential oil called cypress oil, used in perfumery. 4)

Brilliant Blue

E133 Brilliant Blue is found in practically most products (beverages, sweets, etc.) with a blue coloration. The dye is permitted in many countries, with few exceptions. It is banned in Switzerland. 5)