A dye that has been used cosmetically for at least 6000 years for body art and to colour hair. On skin it produces an orange colour that darkens to dark reddish-brown; as a hair dye the colour varies according to the hair’s natural colour. The dye is obtained from the leaves of the henna tree (Lawsonia inermis, family Lythraceae), native to semi-arid regions of tropical North Africa, western and southern Asia, and northern Australasia.