Is it vegan?

Carmine

Carmine is a crimson pigment made from cochineal, small scale insects that live on prickly-pear cactus. The insects are dried and crushed to extract carminic acid. On a list it appears as Carmine or by its colour index number, CI 75470.

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On a list as: Carmine (CI 75470)
What it does: Red pigment
Where it comes from: Animal: from cochineal insects
Vegan?: No

Why it’s in a formula

It gives a clear, stable red that is hard to match, which is why it has coloured lipsticks, blushes and glosses for centuries.

It is not vegan.
In makeup that comes in shades, carmine usually sits in the “may contain” part of the list: some shades use it and others don’t. Our pieces that may contain it are marked “some shades” below.
It can cause allergic reactions in a small number of people.

Every piece whose list is vegan

Where you’ll find it at Divina

Read from each piece’s published ingredient list. 3 pieces.

L'Éclat

Lip Gloss

$44

Listed as Carmine (CI 75470) · some shades

Not vegan: lanolin and beeswax, and some shades may contain carmine

Le Rouge

Liquid Lipstick

$48

Listed as Carmine (CI 75470) · some shades

Not vegan in every shade: a synthetic wax rather than beeswax, but some shades may contain carmine

La Teinte

Lip Gloss Stain

$40

Listed as Carmine (CI 75470) · some shades

Not vegan in every shade: beeswax in sixteen of its twenty-two shades, and most may contain carmine; Shy, Cinnamon, Rose, Firedown and Dazzle read vegan

Questions

Is carmine vegan?

No. It is made from insects, so it is excluded from vegan cosmetics.

How do I know if a lipstick contains carmine?

Look for “Carmine” or “CI 75470” on the list, including the “may contain” section, which covers the colourants used across a range of shades. If it is there, ask which shades use it, or choose a piece without it.

Is CI 75470 the same as carmine?

Yes. CI 75470 is carmine’s colour index number, the code used on ingredient lists worldwide.

How we know: every ingredient list on this site is the manufacturer’s own, read piece by piece and shade by shade, and the pieces above are worked out from those lists each time the site is built. Ingredient names and functions follow the EU’s CosIng database. This page describes cosmetic ingredients; it isn’t medical advice.