Is carmine (E120) vegan?
Not vegan
Is carmine (E120) vegan?
Why
carmine (E120) is produced by insects. Vegans avoid it because it takes a product from animals that are farmed, transported and often killed in the process.
Carmine is not vegan. The red pigment is extracted from the crushed bodies of female cochineal insects, and roughly 70,000 insects are needed for a single kilogram of dye.
Where it comes from
- Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) is farmed on prickly pear cactus, mainly in Peru and the Canary Islands.
- Insects are brushed off the pads, killed by heat or immersion, dried and milled.
- Carminic acid is extracted and complexed with aluminium to make carmine lake, the stable red used in food.
- The colour is prized because it resists heat and light far better than most plant reds.
Names to look for on the label
- Carmine
- Cochineal
- Carminic acid
- Crimson lake / natural red 4
- E120
- CI 75470 (cosmetics)
Check strawberry yoghurts, red sweets, cured meat substitutes, pink drinks, lipsticks and blushers. Many manufacturers have already moved to beetroot red (E162), anthocyanins (E163), paprika extract (E160c) or lycopene, so a plant-based red alternative usually exists on the same shelf. Cosmetics use the CI 75470 code rather than the E number.
Commonly hides in
- dairy yoghurt
- dairy ice cream
What to use instead
seaweed — It does exactly the same job in coffee, cooking and baking, with no change in method.
How to check a label
Ingredient lists are legally required to name allergens such as milk and egg in bold, which catches most hidden animal ingredients. E-numbers and processing aids are the gap: E120, E441, E542, E904 and E920 are animal-derived, and processing aids often go unlisted. When in doubt, look for a certified vegan mark or ask the manufacturer directly — most reply within a few days.
Common questions about carmine (e120)
Is E120 vegan?
No. E120 is carmine, made from cochineal insects, and is not vegan or vegetarian by most definitions.
Is carmine the same as cochineal?
They are closely related: cochineal extract is the raw insect extract, carmine is the purified aluminium complex made from it. Both come from the same insect.
What is a vegan alternative to carmine?
Beetroot red (E162), anthocyanins from berries (E163), lycopene from tomato and paprika oleoresin all give reds and pinks without insects, though they are less heat-stable.
Sources: Poore & Nemecek (Science, 2018), FAO, USDA FoodData Central, Mekonnen & Hoekstra (2011).
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