Botanical Dyes
We have revamped our core essentials once again, this time turning to Botanical plants, fruits and vegetables. When developed in the right way, these dyes can bring us fresh tones of color that are vibrant but planet-friendly too. This collection consists of 5 new shades: Rennet® Yellow, Bee® Terracotta, Indigo® Blue, and Rubia® Pink & Purple.
Botanical Dyes extracted from nature are much safer for the environment, as they reduce the amount of harsh chemicals and colorants that would otherwise enter into the planet’s water streams. These dyes can help transform the way we use colorants in everyday products and encourage the shift towards a more responsible system of production and consumption.
PANGAIA Rennet® Yellow Botanical Dye
Extracted from the Gall Nut of the Aleppo Oak.
Origin: Indigenous to parts of southern Europe (Greece and the East Aegean Islands) and the Middle East (Turkey, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Syria and Israel). It also grows in South and Southwestern Asia.
• High in tannic acid, this plant has been used traditionally as medicine across the world.
• Oak galls are not only the most astringent vegetable compound in the world but have also been found to have anti-viral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
PANGAIA Rubia® Pink & Purple Botanical Dye
Extracted from the Indian Madder plant root.
Origin: Extremely large area of distribution ranging from Africa to tropical Asia, China, Japan and Australia. In Africa it is found from Sudan and Ethiopia to South Africa.
• Rubia Cordifolia has heart-shaped leaves, giving it the Latin suffix “cordifolia” and highlighting its affinity to the heart and circulatory system.
• The vine grows on the western side of the Himalayas and other mountainous regions.
• Madder is used in Ayurvedic medicine and it is also mentioned several times in ancient medical literature.
PANGAIA Indigo® Blue Botanical Dye
Extracted from the Indigofera Tinctoria Plant.
Origin: Due to Indigofera tinctoria’s long history (Indigo plants and the dyestuff were mentioned in the oldest Sanskrit records), its origin is largely unknown. It is thought to have originated from India, but its range was extended by its cultivation and subsequent naturalization (the introduction of a plant to a region where it is not indigenous). It occurs wild or naturalized in most of Africa, in Asia from Arabia to South-East Asia and in Australia. In Madagascar it seems to occur wild, while in most other Indian Ocean islands it has likely been introduced and sometimes naturalized. In tropical America it has certainly been introduced.
• Has been in cultivation since at least 4000 BC
• This is a species from the bean family that was one of the original sources of indigo dye — one of the most famous and most widely used natural dye throughout history by civilizations worldwide.
• This plant-based indigo is also light-fast and does not require fibre to be treated beforehand, making it easier to dye cotton than most other natural dyes.