How do I achieve specific shades like pink, red, burgundy, or deeper tones?

Start with the natural red or pink base that best suits your application and increase the dosage gradually until you reach your target shade. Natural pigments respond to incremental adjustment — small additions make a meaningful difference, so titrating up slowly gives you better control than adding a large amount at once.

For deeper or darker tones like burgundy, the same principle applies: build up gradually and be realistic about what natural pigments can achieve. Naturals will generally reach rich, saturated tones at higher dosages, but they have an upper ceiling that synthetic dyes don't. Processing conditions — temperature, timing, and pH — all affect the final shade, so testing through your full process before committing to a dosage is important. For applications like cotton candy, adding a natural red powder directly to the floss sugar and increasing it incrementally is the recommended approach.