Carmine (CI 75470): A Natural Red With Allergen Disclosure Needs

Carmine is one of those ingredients that sounds reassuringly "natural" right up until a customer asks what it's actually made from, and then you're explaining that it comes from crushed cochineal insects. That's not a compliance problem by itself, but it does carry a few things worth getting right on your label and in your file.

What carmine actually is

Carmine is a red colorant extracted from the dried bodies of the cochineal insect, a scale insect that lives on certain cactus species. It's been used as a dye for centuries and remains popular in natural cosmetics and food coloring because it delivers a rich red that's hard to replicate with synthetic-free alternatives. On an ingredient list, it's identified by its color index number, CI 75470, alongside the INCI designation Carmine.

Why insect origin matters for your label

Carmine isn't classified the same way as a plant-derived botanical. Because it's animal-derived, it's relevant to:

• Vegan claims. A product containing carmine cannot honestly be marketed as vegan, and making that claim anyway is a labeling accuracy problem independent of any cosmetic regulation. If your brand markets to a vegan audience, double-check every formula that uses a natural red for carmine before the vegan claim goes on the label.
• Allergen and sensitization disclosure. Carmine has a documented history of triggering allergic and sensitization reactions in a subset of users, which is part of why it draws more label scrutiny than some other natural colorants. This is separate from the fragrance allergen list, but it's the same underlying idea: some natural ingredients carry real sensitization risk that deserves a plain mention, not just a quiet spot in a long INCI list.

Where it shows up

Carmine turns up in lip products, blushes, some soaps and bath products marketed for their color, and occasional skincare formulas going for a rosy tint. If you're formulating a "natural" line and reaching for carmine specifically because it avoids synthetic dyes, it's worth pairing that choice with a clear customer-facing note about what carmine is, since "natural" and "vegan" get conflated by a lot of shoppers who assume they're the same thing.

Filing considerations in Canada

On a Cosmetic Notification Form, carmine is declared by its INCI name and CI number along with its concentration, same as any other colorant. It's important to check the current Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist for any restrictions tied to specific product categories, since colorant permissions can vary by where the product is used, for example lip products versus rinse-off products. Because restrictions and permitted use categories can shift, this is a detail worth confirming against Health Canada's current Hotlist at the time you file rather than relying on memory from a past formula.

A quick reference table

Item	Detail
INCI name	Carmine
Color Index number	CI 75470
Source	Cochineal insect (dried and crushed)
Typical function	Red colorant
Vegan-compatible	No
Key labeling consideration	Sensitization potential; incompatible with vegan claims

Practical steps before you launch a product with carmine

1. Confirm the CI 75470 declaration is correct on your ingredient list and matches what your supplier's documentation actually contains, since some "natural red" blends use carmine as one component among others.
2. If you're marketing to a vegan or insect-free audience, either substitute a different colorant or make sure your marketing doesn't accidentally claim vegan status.
3. Check the current Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist for any category-specific restrictions before filing.
4. Consider a plain-language note in your product description, since customers increasingly want to know what "natural red" actually means before they buy.

Cosmetic Comply's ingredient screening flags colorants like carmine against the current Hotlist and surfaces a confidence score before a real reviewer signs off, which is useful for exactly this kind of ingredient where the compliance question and the marketing-honesty question sit right next to each other.