Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower

Hibiscus's government name is Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower. It's the same flower that makes a tart, ruby-red tea, sometimes sold as roselle or jamaica.

Superhero or supervillain?

Superhero. Its superpower is color, from pigments called anthocyanins.

What it does in my soap and clay masks

I use hibiscus as a natural colorant. It goes into soap as hibiscus tea, and into a clay mask as hibiscus powder. In a clay mask, it gives a pinkish to mauve tint. In soap the color changes (see below), and like many botanicals it can fade or brown over time.

The supervillain rumor

"Won't hibiscus make pink soap?" Not usually. Anthocyanins change color with pH, and soap is alkaline, so hibiscus tends to turn soap muted purple, tan or brown instead of red. It's still a natural color, just not the one in your teacup.