Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 946 ml

Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 946 ml

Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint is a classic stage blood used worldwide in theatre, film and SFX training. The colour is a bright arterial red with a slight yellow tinge, the shade of fresh, oxygenated blood. It has a fresh peppermint flavour and is safe for use in and around the mouth. The 946 ml bottle is the bulk format for SFX schools, theatre productions and professional sets that need larger quantities.

• Bright arterial red with slight yellow tinge, colour of fresh oxygenated 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 off 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. Perfect for live work where blood really needs to run.

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

Why do pros choose Stage Blood?

The colour is specifically matched to fresh, oxygenated blood. The bright arterial red with a slight yellow tinge reads as real blood on camera and under stage lighting without any post-production work. Choose this bulk bottle when you are working across an entire season or school year and cannot afford to run out mid-production.

Because the blood stays liquid, its behaviour is predictable: drops run, pools stay wet, smears spread the way real blood does. For drying effects like congealed blood or older wounds, you would choose a different type of blood.

How to use Ben Nye Stage Blood

Apply Stage Blood directly from the bottle or pour it into a mixing dish first. Three commonly used techniques:

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

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

Pro tip: for a vampire bite wound on the neck, first dab a layer of Stage Blood onto the wound, let a second drop run down from the bottle along the neck and dab a small pool at the corner of the mouth. The 946 ml bulk bottle is ideal for SFX schools where multiple students are working on the same lesson at the same time.

Setting and removal

Stage Blood stays liquid. Setting is neither needed nor desirable. For removal, work in stages:

• Skin: warm water with mild soap, dabbing to rinse out. For stubborn residue use a Wonder Towel; finish with a good skin soap. On fair skin a faint red shadow may remain that fades within a few hours.
• 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 gives no 100 per cent guarantee.
• Set pieces and props: warm water with soap works in most cases; test first on porous materials.

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 go in or around the mouth
• SFX training and make-up schools, where Stage Blood is a standard teaching material

Contents

1 bottle of Ben Nye Stage Blood Original Zesty Mint, 946 ml, with a pouring 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 a 29 ml bottle (starter format for kits and rehearsals) and as a 236 ml bottle (for longer productions and SFX training). The 946 ml is this format.

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 takes? Browse the drying stage blood category. For the full range of bright red stage blood, see the bright 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.