Cochineal
A crimson dye made from a small insect that lives on prickly pear cactus in the Americas.
Also: carmine, crimson lake, E120
Cochineal insects live on cactus pads in Mexico and the Andes. The females contain a strong red substance. Dried and crushed, they give a dye that colours wool and silk crimson, scarlet or pink. The Aztecs and Incas valued it highly. After the Spanish conquest it became one of the most profitable exports of the Americas and coloured the red coats of British soldiers and the robes of cardinals. As a pigment it is called carmine. It is still used today to colour food, drinks and lipstick.