It’s pink, it’s popular and potentially illegal.
We’re talking about Pink Sauce, the colorful condiment taking social media by storm. Even if you’re not a foodie, it’s impossible to look away when someone dunks a chicken tender into mystery goo that resembles Pepto Bismol.
At first, the Pink Sauce craze appeared to be nothing more than a stunt to generate buzz for an unknown chef from Florida. But over the past few weeks, the “Pink Sauce Queen” has been trending for all the wrong reasons.
To get to the bottom of this saucy saga, we investigated the origins of the infamous Pink Sauce and why internet watchdogs are begging people not to eat it.
Who Started the Viral Pink Sauce Craze?
Pink Sauce was created by Veronica Shaw, AKA Chef Pii, a private chef in Miami. She’s been in the food business for four years, according to her YouTube channel.
Until recently, Chef Pii had about 800 followers on TikTok. That changed when she debuted her Pink Sauce on June 11 by dunking a chicken tender into it. The original video racked up nearly 70,000 likes and 2,000 comments—but that was just the beginning.
@chef.pii PINK SAUCE 💖🔥
♬ original sound - PINK SAUCE QUEEN 👑💖🤤
Over the following days, Chef Pii started putting Pink Sauce on tacos, gyros, hot wings, shrimp, Big Macs, and KFC drumsticks. Chef Pii had over 140,000 TikTok followers within two weeks and got coverage from Today and NBC News.
Still, people were wondering: What makes Pink Sauce pink?
What Is Pink Sauce Made Of?
Pink Sauce gets its vibrant color from dragon fruit, or pitaya, to which Chef Pii has a personal connection.
“Dragon fruit is rich in magnesium, which helped me out with my anxiety,” she said on her YouTube channel. “That is my personal story, and that is why I love dragon fruit.”
Dragon fruit is slightly sweet, like a cross between a kiwi and a pear. But it’s most famous for its bright pink hue, which makes Pink Sauce “pop” on camera. People have compared the color Pepto Bismol, cupcake frosting, and Nicki Minaj’s hair.
Aside from dragon fruit, the Pink Sauce ingredient list includes sunflower seed oil, pink Himalayan sea salt, chili pepper, garlic, honey, and vinegar.
What Does Pink Sauce Taste Like?
People online have said Pink Sauce tastes like ranch dressing, but that may be an oversimplification.
Chef Pii described her concoction as “sweet, spicy, and tangy” in one of her TikTok videos. Aside from that, she’s shrouded her sauce’s flavor in mystery—perhaps to ignite even more curiosity.
Even the Pink Sauce official website lacks a clear description of the flavor profile other than “Our mission: to excite your taste buds with flava and thrill you with our creativity.”
“I don’t know what it tastes like, but it tastes delicious,” said one older gentleman on TikTok who appeared to be dipping a potato chip in Pink Sauce.
How Much Does Pink Sauce Cost?
Right now, a bottle of Pink Sauce will run you $20. Don’t rush to grab your wallet, though—as of this writing, it’s sold out.
Chef Pii claims she has plans to cut the price to make her Pink Sauce more accessible. Naturally, people online mocked the idea of paying $20 for a sketchy condiment, especially in this economy.
But the price tag isn’t the only controversy surrounding Pink Sauce.
Why Is There Backlash Against Pink Sauce?
Shortly after Chef Pii started selling her Pink Sauce online, she started getting attention for all the wrong reasons.
For starters, the bottle’s nutrition labels were full of errors and typos, most notably that it claimed to contain 444 servings (Chef Pii later explained that she meant 444 grams of sauce per bottle, which correlates with 30 servings).
People also questioned the sauce’s color, which seemed to vary from bottle to bottle. In some pictures, it was neon pink, but in others, it was more of a pastel. This raised concerns about Chef Pii’s quality control standards.
The biggest knock against Pink Sauce is the risk of foodborne illness. Her ingredient label includes milk and eggs, but there were no instructions to refrigerate the bottles after opening. Not to mention, some of the bottles arrived to customers leaking and broken.
“You are selling rotten sauce to people in the summer heat,” TikTok user Misha Curiel said in a recent video criticizing Chef PII.
Chef Pii allegedly offered refunds to upset customers and claims her Pink Sauce is undergoing “lab testing” to meet FDA standards.
You’re Gonna Need a Wipe for That
If you get your hands on a bottle of Chef Pii’s infamous Pink Sauce, the flavor isn’t the only thing that might surprise you. Be prepared for your poop to change colors.
“When you put too much dragon fruit inside…it makes you poop red,” Chef Pii told Glamour. “It’s like if you eat too many beets.”
She’s right. The vibrant color of dragon fruit can give your poop (and pee) a reddish-pink hue. Don’t worry, you’re not pooping blood. It just means your gut didn’t fully break down the colorful compounds.
It’s too early to say whether Pink Sauce will take over condiment aisles in America. All we know is you’re gonna need plenty of DUDE Wipes if you’re smothering fried chicken with pink mystery goo.
