Is E120 (Carmine) Vegan? The Red Dye Made From Insects

A strawberry yogurt, a bag of red gummy candies, a lipstick. They share a color, and often a hidden ingredient: carmine. If you eat vegetarian or vegan, this is the additive most likely to catch you off guard, because it is not meat, not dairy, and not obviously animal at all. It is made from insects.

Key Takeaways

• Carmine (E120) is not vegan or vegetarian. It is a red pigment made from crushed cochineal insects.
• It appears on labels as carmine, cochineal extract, E120, Natural Red 4, or CI 75470.
• Since 2009 the FDA has required it to be named on food and cosmetic labels, so it is easier to spot than it used to be.
• Plant-based reds (beet juice, anthocyanins, lycopene) give the same color without insects.

TL;DR: Carmine is not vegan or vegetarian. It is a red dye extracted from the dried, crushed bodies of the cochineal insect, and it hides in red candy, yogurt, drinks and cosmetics.

What carmine actually is

Carmine is made from a tiny scale insect, the cochineal (Dactylopius coccus), which feeds on cactus. The red pigment inside the insect is carminic acid, and carmine is the processed form used as a dye. The University of Bristol describes carminic acid as the molecule that gives cochineal and carmine their red color (University of Bristol, retrieved 2026-08-25).

A food color manufacturer puts it plainly: cochineal extract and carmine are “natural” colors derived from the cochineal insect (Sensient, retrieved 2026-08-25). The word “natural” is doing a lot of work here. Natural means it comes from nature, not that it is plant-based or cruelty-free.

Why the label now tells you

For a long time, carmine could hide behind vague terms like “color added” or “natural color.” That changed after reports of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in people who consumed products colored with carmine. In 2009 the US Food and Drug Administration required cochineal extract and carmine to be declared by name on food and cosmetic labels (Foley & Lardner, retrieved 2026-08-25).

That ruling is why you can now scan a label and see the actual word “carmine” or “cochineal extract” instead of a catch-all. It also tells you the allergen concern is real enough to regulate, which matters if you have a history of reactions to food dyes.

Where carmine hides

• Red and pink yogurts, ice creams and fruit drinks
• Red candy, gummies, lollipops and fruit snacks
• Fruit-flavored drinks and “berry” snacks
• Lipsticks, blushes and other red cosmetics
• Some red-colored pills and coatings

The rule of thumb: if a product is a vivid red or pink and lists a color you do not recognize, check for carmine.

The plant-based alternatives

Red does not have to come from insects. These plant pigments produce the same range:

If you want the red without the insects, look for one of these instead of carmine.

How to check a label

1. Look for carmine, cochineal, cochineal extract, E120, Natural Red 4, or CI 75470.
2. In cosmetics, check the ingredient list, not just the front label.
3. Look for a vegan certification logo, which rules carmine out.
4. Scan the product. A scanner app flags carmine and other animal-derived additives automatically.

Carmine is only one of several animal-derived additives. See our E-numbers cheat sheet for the full list, including gelatin, shellac and l-cysteine.

The bottom line

Carmine is crushed insects in processed form, and it is not vegetarian or vegan. The good news is that the FDA labeling rule and a wave of plant-based reds have made it easier than ever to avoid. Read the label, or let a scanner do it for you.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Ingredient sources can vary by manufacturer, so always confirm with the brand or vendor.