Ingredients Annatto

ANNATTO / (uh-nah-toh)/ n. / 1. An extract from the red seeds of the heart-shaped fruit of the urukum tree in the Brazilian rain forest, also known as Bixa orellana; / 2. / Used in South American cuisine as a deep scarlet food colorant for cheese and chocolate and for flavoring in many rice dishes; / 3. / A medicinal agent used by Amazonians as a digestif; / 4. / Known as the “lipstick tree” by Central and South Americans, its crimson-colored seeds have been used to make body paint and lipstick for centuries, e.g., “Give food and lips a healthy dose of color with annatto.”

Try it: Aveda Uruku Color Gloss, $16, available at www.aveda.com beginning August 1.
—Fiorella Valdesolo
Photo: Courtesy of Aveda