What is the pigment found in red hair?

The pigment found in red hair is pheomelanin. It is the reddish-yellow form of melanin that gives red hair its characteristic copper, orange, or strawberry tones.

Hair color depends largely on the balance between pheomelanin and eumelanin. Eumelanin produces brown and black shades, while pheomelanin produces yellow and red shades. Red hair generally contains much more pheomelanin and relatively little eumelanin, although exact color varies between individuals.

The genetic switch is strongly associated with the MC1R gene on chromosome 16. Certain MC1R variants reduce the receptor’s usual stimulation of eumelanin production, allowing pheomelanin to dominate. MC1R is important, but it is not the only gene involved, so red hair can vary widely in shade and intensity.

A common mix-up is treating pheomelanin and melanin as competing answers. Pheomelanin is a specific type of melanin, whereas “melanin” is the broader family name. Red-haired people may also have freckles and increased sensitivity to ultraviolet light because their pigmentation provides less UV protection than darker eumelanin-rich pigmentation.