A team of chemists are searching for a new red pigment

HUMANS ARE creatures with sophisticated colour vision, so the market for pigments is big—about $30bn a year. In this marketplace, however, not all colours are equal. In particular, bright reds, much desired for their attention-grabbing qualities, are tricky to make, and each of the existing options has flaws.The especially vivid reds made from cadmium, lead and mercury are toxic and so their use is now restricted. Cochineal, created by crushing up , a species of scale insect, is safe to handle and consume, but its safety is trumped in the minds of some by its animal origin. A campaign by vegans in 2012, for example, forced Starbucks to remove cochineal from its Strawberry Frappuccinos. Other red pigments, meanwhile, either start off dull (oxides of iron) or fade to dullness unless given special protection from ultraviolet light (Pigment Red 254, the source of Ferraris’ characteristic scarlet livery). The hunt is therefore on for a non-toxic, non-controversial, chemically stable red.