Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 29 ml

Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 29 ml

Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint is a classic stage blood from Ben Nye Makeup, used worldwide in theatre, film and SFX work. The colour is a bright arterial red with a slight yellow undertone: the colour of fresh, oxygen-rich blood. It has a refreshing peppermint flavour and is safe for use in and around the mouth. The 29 ml bottle is the starter size for kits, rehearsals and individual scenes.

• Bright arterial red with slight yellow undertone: fresh, oxygen-rich blood
• Fresh peppermint flavour, safe for use in and around the mouth
• Stays liquid for extended working time (does not dry out)
• Based on hydrolysed corn starch, paraben-free
• Washes from skin with warm water and soap; test on fabric first

What is Ben Nye Stage Blood?

Stage Blood is a classic from the theatre circuit, developed by Ben Nye Makeup in Los Angeles. The formula is based on hydrolysed corn starch with water, propylene glycol and peppermint flavouring. This makes the blood drip and flow naturally while staying liquid throughout the entire scene. It is ideal for live work where blood needs to really flow.

The flavour and composition are tailored for use around and in the mouth. For vampire effects, blood trickling from a mouth corner or a bitten lip, this is the blood actors can actually hold in their mouth without an unpleasant taste.

Why do pros choose Stage Blood?

The colour is deliberately matched to fresh, oxygen-rich blood. The bright arterial red with its slight yellow undertone reads as real blood on camera and under stage lighting, without any post-production adjustment.

Because the blood stays liquid, its behaviour is predictable: drops run, puddles stay wet and smears spread like real blood. For drying effects, clotted blood or older wounds, you would choose a different blood product. Choose this size if you want to test a reliable stage blood before committing to the larger bottles.

How to use Ben Nye Stage Blood

Apply Stage Blood directly from the bottle or pour it into a dispensing tray. Three widely used techniques:

• Dripping and flowing: dab with a brush or tip the bottle at an angle so gravity does the work for realistic drip behaviour.
• Spattering: use a Ben Nye Full Splatter Brush or the smaller Mini Splatter Brush for targeted blood spatters on skin, clothing or set dressing.
• In the mouth: take a small sip or use a capsule. Do not swallow, but the mint flavour is comfortable to hold briefly.

Build up effects in thin layers: a first coat of blood, then add a second targeted layer for depth. Combine with Ben Nye Thick Blood for thicker, clotting blood passages or with Ben Nye Fresh Scab for blood crusts and older wounds.

Pro tip: for a vampire bite on the neck, dab a first layer of Stage Blood onto the wound, let a second drop run down the neck directly from the bottle and dab a small pool at the corner of the mouth. The 29 ml size fits easily into a makeup kit for backstage use.

Setting and removal

Stage Blood stays liquid. Setting is not required and not desirable. For removal, work in steps:

• Skin: warm water with mild soap, blotting it away. For stubborn residue, use a Wonder Towel; finish with a good skin cleanser. On fair skin a slight red tint may remain for a few hours before fading.
• Clothing and fabric: rinse immediately with cold water. Then wash at 30 degrees Celsius with a stain remover. Test on a hidden area first. Ben Nye states that the blood washes out of most fabrics, but cannot give a 100 per cent guarantee.
• Set dressing and props: warm water with soap works in most cases; test on porous materials first.

What can you use it for?

• Theatre and stage productions with live blood effects
• Halloween looks and horror themes (vampires, zombies, bite wounds)
• Haunted houses, scare mazes and horror events
• Cosplay and character work with fresh blood effects
• Vampire teeth, mouth bleeding and any scene where blood needs to be in or around the mouth
• SFX training and makeup schools, where Stage Blood is a standard teaching material

Contents

1 bottle of Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 29 ml, with a pour spout. Bright arterial red, peppermint flavour.

Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Aqua (Water), Propylene Glycol, Aroma (Flavour), Phenoxyethanol, +/-: CI 16035, CI 42090. Not tested on animals.

Other sizes and variants

Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint is also available as this size (29 ml), 236 ml for longer productions and theatre seasons, and 946 ml as a bulk bottle for SFX schools and professional sets.

For dark, oxidised blood (older wounds, dried blood look) choose Ben Nye Dark Blood Aged & Oxidized 29 ml. Looking for a blood that actually dries for long-duration filming? Browse the drying stage blood category. For the full range of bright red stage bloods, see the light red stage blood category.

Compliant with EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. Product photos are taken under professional lighting. Colours may differ slightly depending on your screen settings.