The common pigment derived from iron oxide and used for red in Egyptian paintings was red ochre.
Red ochre is a natural clay pigment colored mainly by hematite, an iron(III) oxide. Egyptian artists ground the mineral and mixed it with a binding medium before applying it to plaster, wood, stone, pottery, and other surfaces. Its durability helped many Egyptian wall paintings retain their color for thousands of years.
Red had several meanings in Egyptian culture. It could symbolize vitality, health, fire, the sun, and victory, but it could also suggest the desert, danger, disorder, or hostile forces such as Set. Artists commonly used red ochre for the skin of men in painted scenes, while women were often shown with lighter yellow or golden complexions.
Red ochre was not limited to monumental art. Egyptians also used it as rouge for the cheeks and lips, and red pigments appeared in writing and cosmetics. The other options are associated with different colors: azurite and lapis lazuli generally produced blue, while malachite produced green.