The brilliant colors of butterfly wings could inspire a new generation of glitter, paints and other colorful materials that last longer and may be safer for people and the environment.
Researchers at Northeastern University are studying microscopic structures found on butterfly wings to understand how nature creates vivid colors without relying on conventional pigments. Their findings are being presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 meeting.
Most familiar colors come from pigments. Certain molecules absorb some wavelengths of light while reflecting others, producing the colors we see.
Carotenoids, for example, help make carrots orange, while chlorophyll gives plants their familiar green color.
But pigments have disadvantages. Sunlight and environmental exposure can gradually break down the chemicals responsible for their color, causing them to fade. Some commercial dyes and pigments can also contain substances that raise concerns about human health or environmental pollution.
Butterflies offer a different solution.
Some of nature’s most striking colors are “structural colors.” Instead of depending mainly on pigments, they are produced by tiny physical structures that interact with light. These structures bend, scatter and interfere with particular wavelengths, creating intense colors.
Similar effects produce the shimmering colors of opals, peacock feathers and the brilliant blue wings of morpho butterflies.
Because structural colors depend on physical architecture rather than light-sensitive coloring molecules, they can be highly durable and resistant to fading.
Leila Deravi and her colleagues at Northeastern studied butterflies belonging to the Pieridae family, which includes familiar species such as cabbage white and clouded sulfur butterflies.
The researchers focused on substances called pterins found on the surface of butterfly wings. Pterins are naturally occurring compounds related to molecules involved in DNA.
The team believes it may be possible to adjust color by changing the size and arrangement of pterin crystals. This could potentially create different visual effects without requiring a large collection of separate chemical pigments.
Pterins could also offer environmental advantages because similar molecules naturally occur in living organisms. However, the researchers emphasize that they have not yet conducted studies confirming the safety of pterin-based materials.
One challenge has been finding a practical way to manufacture these tiny crystals.
Traditional laboratory methods for growing pterin crystals can require organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and may take several weeks. Graduate researcher Clara Dou wondered whether scientists could instead imitate the way butterflies produce these structures naturally.
The team developed a method that uses water, salt and changes in acidity to control crystallization. With this approach, crystals can form and be separated from the solution within minutes rather than weeks.
Researchers can then adjust the conditions in which the crystals grow and observe how those changes affect the colors they reflect.
So far, the technique produces only milligram quantities, but the team is working to increase production.
Eventually, butterfly-inspired structural colors could potentially be used in products ranging from paints to cosmetics and glitter. They may provide a more sustainable alternative to some existing materials while producing bright colors that resist fading.
For now, considerable research remains. But the work demonstrates how studying something as familiar as a butterfly wing could reveal new ways to manufacture colorful materials with fewer chemicals and longer-lasting results.
