The seeds that provide the red annatto pigment used in cosmetics come from the achiote tree, Bixa orellana.
Achiote is a shrub or small tree native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Its spiky seed pods split open when mature, revealing seeds covered by a thin, waxy, blood-red coating. That coating—not the hard seed interior—is the main source of annatto color.
The principal pigments are the carotenoids bixin and norbixin. Bixin dissolves in oils and produces orange-red tones, while norbixin is water-soluble and tends to produce yellower shades. These properties make annatto useful in lipsticks, soaps, hair-color products, nail polish, and other cosmetic formulations, as well as in foods such as cheese and margarine.
The plant has a long cultural history. Indigenous peoples of the Americas used the seed coating as body paint and coloring, which helped give Bixa orellana the nickname “lipstick tree.” Regional names include achiote, bija, roucou, and urucum. Saffron and beetroot can also supply color, but they are not the plant source of annatto; cochineal is an animal-derived dye made from insects.