Ingredient glossary / Colorant
Carmine (CI 75470)
On the label: Carmine · Colorant
What it is
A red pigment from the cochineal insect; the one red that is not vegan. An allergen for a small number of people.
Colorants: Colorants tint the product or the skin; in the US each is listed by its FDA name (CI number or D&C name).
Wikidata: Pigment, aluminum salt of carminic acid. Q320617 →
In the research
80 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Lab-on-a-tip platform with cotton matrices for colorimetric detection of carmine in lipsticks · RSC advances, 2026
- Eyelid Dermatitis: A 5-Year Retrospective Review from a Metropolitan Contact Dermatitis Clinic · Dermatitis : contact, atopic, occupational, drug, 2026
- Exploring the anti-quorum sensing potential of synthetic lipstick dyes against Pseudomonas aeruginosa · New microbes and new infections, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other colorants
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.