A new vegan red pigment from Givaudan Active Beauty comes to US market

Launched just today, the new vegan pigment was developed with clean color cosmetics in mind—lip color products in particular. And it updates what’s possible in the clean makeup space.

“Most of the existing colour formulae rely on synthetic pigments,” ​emphasizes Yohan Rolland, Global Category Manager for Personal Care at Givaudan, in his remarks to the press. Carmine has also conventionally been a go-to red ingredient; but its insect origin rules it out when chemists are formulating vegan or clean beauty products.  

“Proudly crafted by Green fractionation, New Red 1805 [as Givaudan’s new Oxy’less 1805  pigment is called outside the US] enables brands to bring a premium vegan, cruelty-free and performant innovation in the most iconic category of colours cosmetics: the red lipstick,” ​says Rolland.

And like many clean beauty ingredients launching this year, Oxy’less 1805 could be described as a sophisticated natural: “With a 100% natural origin, it doesn’t interfere with performance,” ​notes Rolland.

Givaudan is helping clean beauty brands turn radishes to makeup

Oxy’less 1805 is made from red radishes grown on a cooperative farm in the Yunnan province of southwestern China. The red rood of the radish (Raphanus Sativus L.) gets it color from anthocyanins, water-soluble membrane-bound pigments that lend their color to any number of red, blue, purple, or black food plants: radishes, rice, raspberries, etc.

Anthocyanins have antioxidant effects; and today’s press release from Givaudan states that beside being a pigment, Oxy’less 1805 can “[protect] the fragile lip skin from free radicals.”​

As a pigment, “it delivers a better chroma C and a better coverage (Contrast Ratio) in comparison to synthetic benchmark red pigment in products designed for lips,” ​according to the release.

And the Givaudan team has created a prototype satin-finish lip color called S3D Désir to showcase the color and performance of Oxy’less 1805.