That bright red comes from something else called carmine. Oh, and it's made from squashed bugs. Squashed female cochineal bugs, to be specific. They're tick-sized critters native to Mesoamerica ...

The bright red color in cosmetics and food traditionally comes from bugs—and was nearly impossible to replicate until Debut ...

Over two centuries ago, physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně noticed that red flowers looked bright carmine during sunny days but appeared to change to a deep muted hue come nighttime.

That bright red comes from something else called carmine. Oh, and it's made from squashed bugs. Squashed female cochineal bugs, to be specific. They're tick-sized critters native to Mesoamerica ...