Carmine is a red pigment used in lipsticks and blushes, created by boiling and crushing cochineal insects. Because it is a known allergen and not vegan, brands often hide it on ingredient labels under alternative names like Cochineal Extract, Natural Red 4, Crimson Lake, or CI 75470.

The Secret Ingredient in Your Red Lipstick

For decades, the beauty industry has relied on carmine to create vibrant red, pink, and purple cosmetics. It is a cheap, highly pigmented dye. However, as consumers become more educated about both veganism and skin allergies, the demand for carmine-free makeup has skyrocketed.

Rather than reformulate their products, many brands simply use chemical index numbers to hide the ingredient from everyday shoppers.

How to Spot Carmine on an Ingredient Deck

If you are trying to avoid animal byproducts or prevent an allergic flare-up, you must become an expert label reader. Check the bottom of your makeup's ingredient list (usually in the "May Contain" section) for these sneaky aliases:

• CI 75470: The cosmetic color index number for carmine.
• Cochineal Extract: The name of the actual insect it is derived from.
• Natural Red 4: A deceptive name that sounds harmless but refers to the bug dye.
• Crimson Lake or Carmine Lake: Terms used when the dye is mixed with a metal like aluminum.

Trusting Your Makeup with Fluency Beauty

You shouldn't need a chemistry degree to know what is in your blush. Fluency Beauty is built on absolute transparency. We never use insects, hidden CI numbers, or animal byproducts to color our products. Our vibrant multisticks and blushes get their bold hues strictly from pure vegetables like turmeric and spirulina, ingredients you actually recognize and your skin actually loves.