DPP (diketopyrrolopyrrole) pigments were discovered accidentally in 1974 by Ciba-Geigy researchers who were investigating an entirely different chemical reaction. The brilliant red crystals that appeared in a flask proved to be one of the most important pigment discoveries of the 20th century — combining extraordinary lightfastness, brilliant colour, and non-toxicity. BASF marketed one variant as "Heliogen Red."

Pure, brilliant, and uncompromising. Heliogen/Pyrrol Red is the vivid red of the 21st century — it carries none of the historical baggage of cadmium, none of the toxicity concerns, and all of the intensity. It is the red of contemporary consciousness — clean, permanent, and unapologetically vivid. Associated with Ferrari, emergency services, and the particular energy of maximum-saturation red.

The Ferrari red colour — one of the most recognised colours in the world — uses DPP pigments for its extraordinary intensity and durability. The accidental discovery of DPP pigments follows a pattern in colour history: some of the most important pigments (Prussian Blue, mauveine, phthalocyanine blue) were discovered by accident while researchers were looking for something entirely different. This serendipity suggests that the colour world has its own agenda, occasionally revealing itself through human error.