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.
Without carmineLe Gommage Lèvres · $24
Choose your flavour- 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.
Without carmine
Vegan by their own published lists.
Every vegan piece · first order: FOUNDING15 takes 15% off, ends 31 Dec 2026
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.
Is carmine vegetarian?
No. Unlike beeswax or lanolin, it is made by crushing the insects themselves, so most vegetarians avoid it too.
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.
Is E120 or cochineal vegan?
No. E120 is the food-additive code for cochineal and carmine, and it is the same insect-derived red. In cosmetics it appears as carmine, carmine lake, Natural Red 4 or CI 75470; none of them is vegan.
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.
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