Cochineal Extract

Shepherd Textiles Cochineal Extract Natural Dye is made from dactylopius coccus, a scale insect that lives on prickly pear cactuses. Cochineal produces a beautiful range of pink, fuchsia, and cherry red colors on natural fibers; the color can be adjusted by varying the mordant and the PH of the dyebath. Our Cochineal Extract is produced in Peru at the same farm that supplies us with our dried cochineal grains, and more than 4,000 cochineal insects are used to make each ounce of extract. It is the finest grade available, standardized to 52% carminic acid by weight and suitable for dyeing textiles (most cochineal extracts are intended for coloring soft drinks and candies and contain a much smaller concentration of carminic acid). It dissolves easily in water, does not need to be filtered out of the dyebath, and makes dyeing a breeze. Use at 3-5% weight-of-fabric on fiber mordanted with alum for intense fuchsias, or shift the color to cherry red with a few teaspoons of cream of tartar.

Before using, please read our Guide to Dyeing With Cochineal Extract for color recipes, background, and safety information.

Product of Peru.