Cape Jasmine Extract (Gardenia Blue)

Shepherd Textiles Cape Jasmine Extract is made from the fruit of the Cape Jasmine, gardenia jasminoides. It was discovered in the late 1980s that gardenia fruit, an ancient yellow dye in China, would also yield a blue dye when reacted with one of the basic amino acids like glycine (found in legumes) or tyrosine (found in cheese). The resulting blue pigment is sometimes referred to as “Gardenia Blue.” Gardenia Blue is resistant to heat and unaffected by PH, which makes it one of the few durable natural blues besides indigo. Cape Jasmine Extract is very popular in east Asia, especially in Korea, where it is used to color cakes and ice cream. It remains almost totally unknown in the United States. The FDA is currently studying gardenia jasminoides extract for approval as a food color and cosmetic additive, but until it receives approval it cannot be used for those purposes. However, it is also an excellent natural textile dye. It gives bright, sky blues and ocean blues on wool and silk. Shepherd Textiles Cape Jasmine Extract is manufactured in South Korea and it does not contain any of the impurities that cause some other gardenia extracts to have a greenish tinge. Use it at 5%-10% weight-of-fabric for sky blues on wool and silk; not recommended for cotton.

Before using, please read our Guide to Dyeing with Cape Jasmine Extract for color recipes, background, and safety information.

Product of South Korea.