Is Carmine (E120) Vegan?

What is Carmine (E120)?

A vibrant red food coloring or dye used to give foods and cosmetics a deep, stable red, pink, or purple hue without relying on synthetic alternatives like Red 40.

How Carmine is made

Cochineal insects are farmed on prickly-pear cactus pads in Peru, the Canary Islands, and parts of Mexico. The female insects are brushed off the cactus, dried in the sun, then crushed. Carminic acid is extracted from the dried bodies with hot water and precipitated with aluminum or calcium salts to form the stable lake pigment sold to food and cosmetic manufacturers. It takes roughly 70,000 insects to produce one pound of dye.

History and context

Carmine has been a prized red colorant since the Aztecs cultivated cochineal centuries before European contact. After synthetic dyes overtook the market in the 20th century, "natural color" marketing pulled carmine back into mainstream food. In 2009, the FDA mandated that products containing carmine and cochineal extract list the ingredient by name on labels — previously it could be hidden under "color added" — after several allergic-reaction reports.

Common misconceptions

"Natural color" does not mean plant-based. If a product is bright red and the only color listed is "natural color," check for carmine, cochineal extract, carminic acid, or E120 elsewhere on the label. Calling carmine "vegetarian" is also a stretch — it requires killing insects, so most strict vegetarians avoid it as well.

Where Carmine (E120) usually appears

You can frequently find this ingredient hiding in:

• Red candies
• Strawberry or ruby-red juices
• Fruit-flavored yogurts
• Cosmetics and lipsticks

Vegan alternatives to Carmine (E120)

If you're avoiding carmine (e120), look for these plant-based alternatives instead:

• Beetroot juice
• Lycopene (from tomatoes)
• Red cabbage juice
• Red 40 (synthetic)