Anthocyanins are the pigments that make blueberries blue, plums purple and red cabbage red.
If you’ve read my guide to butterfly pea tea, you already know the magic word. Anthocyanins are the plant pigments behind every blue, purple and deep red food in your kitchen, and I just love seeing them on an ingredient list. Here’s what they are, where to find them, and my favourite ways to get more of them.
Anthocyanins are the pigments in blue and purple foods
Anthocyanins are the pigments that make blueberries blue, plums purple and red cabbage red. They're plant flavonoids found in many fruits and vegetables, and the name comes from the Greek anthos, meaning flower, and kyanos, meaning blue. In plants, they act as built-in sun protection against UV and temperature stress. In our bodies, they act as antioxidants, helping neutralise the free radicals that contribute to skin ageing and cellular stress.
What the research says about anthocyanins
There is a lot of research around Anthocyanins, a 2023 systematic review found that anthocyanin-rich foods and supplements helped reduce markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, and a 2015 meta-analysis linked anthocyanin intake to healthier cholesterol markers. On the brain side, research reviewed in 2023 suggests anthocyanins may support memory and learning, and a 2020 review explored their role in supporting collagen structure and defending against UV-related skin ageing.
Some of this research is still early, so it's promising but not yet proven.
The foods richest in anthocyanins
Blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, eggplant skin, black rice, purple potatoes, Queen Garnet plums and butterfly pea flowers are all rich in anthocyanins. The rule of thumb is simple: the darker the purple, the more anthocyanins you’re getting.
My favourite ways to get more anthocyanins
Clean Nectarine Butterfly Pea Tea
If one product started my anthocyanin obsession, it’s the Clean Nectarine Butterfly Pea Tea. The Butterfly Pea flowers in this blend are rich in ternatins, the specific anthocyanins behind that famous colour change. Brew it, add lemon, and watch the pigment react in real time. Science you can drink. Nectarine Rating 3/3 
The Beauty Chef Antioxidant Boost
The Beauty Chef Antioxidant Boost is a liquid concentrate you add to water or a smoothie, with pomegranate handling the anthocyanin work alongside papaya and green tea. I like to add a nice big splash to my water bottle, but you can also add it to your smoothie or mix it with yoghurt. Nectarine Rating 3/3
Eden Healthfoods Wild C
Acerola cherry is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C, and in the Eden Healthfoods Wild C powder it comes blended with acai and maqui, two of the darkest, most anthocyanin-dense berries you can eat. Each serve delivers 312mg of naturally occurring vitamin C with the bioflavonoids that help your body absorb it, and it’s all from wholefoods. Nectarine Rating 3/3
Mukti Queen of the Night Crème
Night is when our skin does its best work, and this is one of my favourite night creams for the job. The Mukti Queen of the Night Crème is built around Queen Garnet Plum, an Australian-bred fruit with far more anthocyanins than an ordinary plum, alongside a ceramide complex to support skin renewal while you sleep. Nectarine Rating 3/3
Andalou Brightening Purple Carrot + Vitamin C Luminous Night Cream
Purple carrots came centuries before the orange kind, and they owe that colour to anthocyanins. This night cream also puts them to work overnight alongside vitamin C for brightness. Nectarine Rating 1/3
Anthocyanin-rich plants are also the best natural way to colour makeup. The colour in the Hurraw! Rouge à Lèvres Plantcolor No 3, a rich plum lipstick in a balm format, comes from root vegetables including beets, radishes and purple potatoes, harvested and extracted within a day into microfine pigments. Nectarine Rating 3/3
About the Author
Irene Falcone is the founder of Clean Nectarine and co-host of The Lee & Irene Show. She started her first clean beauty business in 2011 with $100 in her garage and grew it to $20m in four years. She has spent over 15 years reading the backs of beauty and wellness labels, is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and has been featured on A Current Affair, The Project, Sunrise, Channel Nine Mornings and Sky News.
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