Question: what is in red 40 dye?
Answer: What is Red 40 Anyway? Red 40 is a chemical compound that comes from coal tars. Dyes made from coal tars are created by mixing various fragrant smelling hydrocarbons like benzyne and toluene. Back in the day (think: ancient Egyptians) dye was made from things found in nature, like flowers, leaves, roots, etc.