Carmine red is in lipsticks, candy or lemonade. However, the red dye is not suitable for vegetarians. We’ll explain why.
What is carmine and where is it used?
Carmine is a dye widely used in the cosmetics and food industries. It gives a rich red color to numerous products. You can find it on the list of ingredients under the designation E120. Carmine is often also listed as “true carmine”, carminic acid, carmine, cochineal or cochineal.
Many of the following products are often colored with crimson:
lipsticks
eyeshadow
shampoo
Toothpaste with red content
Sweets
lemonades and soft drinks
milkshakes
fruit yoghurt
Ready-to-eat desserts
Canned cherries and red fruit jelly
Cake frosting and cake decoration
cured meats
The problem: Real carmine is made from dead lice. Countless small animals die for the dye. This is not only cruel, but can also lead to health problems for us humans.
Why carmine is not vegetarian
Carmine red is obtained from the dye of female scale insects. Depending on the process, the subspecies cochineal scale or nopal scale, the Indian lacquer scale or the Polish and Armenian cochineal are used. The tiny insects naturally produce the red acid to protect themselves from predators.
More problems from Carmine
In addition to the fact that carmine red is not vegetarian, the dye can also become dangerous for humans.
The consumption of carmine can lead to serious allergic reactions: skin rashes, breathing difficulties, headaches and nausea up to a life-threatening anaphylactic shock can be the result. Asthmatics should also avoid products with crimson as much as possible.
Alternatives to Carmine
Killing countless animals for purely visual reasons is senseless and cruel. In order not to further support the production of crimson, you can take a closer look at the list of ingredients for red-colored products.
Many manufacturers are now using plant-based or synthetic alternatives to carmine. The number E124 indicates synthetic carmine. Red dye can also be obtained naturally from alkenna roots or from beetroot juice.
