Our premium madder extract is made from the roots of Rubia tinctorum, one of the world’s oldest and most celebrated dye plants. Used for thousands of years across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, madder has colored textiles from ancient Egyptian mummy cloths to medieval tapestries.

This professional-grade extract is grown, harvested, and processed in Europe under fair trade standards. As a renewable resource, it has a positive CO₂ footprint, producing more oxygen than is consumed in its cultivation and processing.

Madder extract produces brilliant reds, from clear crimson to earthy terracottas, depending on mordant and bath conditions. It is a cornerstone of the natural dyer’s palette.

Active dye components: alizarin, purpurin (anthraquinones)
CI Natural Red 8 

Shading Tips

• Alum on protein: brilliant reds to deep crimsons
• Alum on cellulose: orange-reds, terracottas
• Exhaust baths: softer oranges and browns
• With chalk (per Edward Bancroft, 18th c.): shifts orange-brown toward red
• With indigo: produces near blacks, deep plums, and purples
• With tannins: richer, more durable reds
• Iron post-bath: browner, deeper tones