Nothing dyes makeup as bright a red as carmine dye. It’s made from mealybug blood, and it’s not just vegans who would like to do without it. But are there alternatives?
Vegans who have already a long way to go recognize the discreet number immediately, carmine red is usually hidden behind the abbreviation CI 75470 in the list of cosmetic ingredients, and more rarely under terms such as carmine or mealybug.
CARMINE IS MADE FROM MEALYBUGS
CI stands for Color Index and makeup usually contains a long list of these pigments, which are then combined differently to achieve the desired shade. But animal rights activists strictly avoid crimson.
The pigment is made by drying and boiling mealybugs that have been bred specifically for this macabre end. That is why it is in the crosshairs of many animal rights organizations.
Although our empathy with mealybugs may not be the same as with other types of animals, it is necessary to assume that all animals experience some sense of pain or suffering. It is unacceptable that huge numbers of animals are treated as inert things for a few grams of carmine.
THE VEGAN SUBSTITUTE FOR LESS BRILLIANT CARMINE
Awareness of animal suffering in cosmetics is constantly growing among consumers. Even the big cosmetics brands seem to be slowly reacting to this trend. Some brands have changed 100% of their recipes to achieve completely vegan formulations.
The color palette of lipsticks, blushes and eyeshadows of vegan products leave nothing to be desired at first glance, compared to those of conventional cosmetics. It is possible to replace CI 75470 with other pigments.
However, this usually involves certain deficits, especially when it comes to lipsticks. The substitution of carmine red achieves somewhat fewer brilliant results, because no other pigment really comes close to carminum in terms of intensity.
SYNTHETIC DYES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN NATURAL COSMETICS
Vegan products often use a synthetic pigment, CI 16255, as an alternative to the carmine dye obtained from cochineal. But this dye is artificially obtained from petroleum derivatives and is an azo dye that can cause allergies. Therefore, natural or organic cosmetic products cannot use it.
Private standards governing natural cosmetics only allow pigments of plant, mineral or animal origin. Synthetic dyes such as CI 16255 (synthetic carmine) cannot be used as they belong to the group of azo colors that cause allergies.
THE PERFECT REPLACEMENT FOR CARMINE HAS NOT YET BEEN FOUND
There are brands specialized in makeup with natural cosmetics certification that have been trying to find vegan alternatives for some time. It is already possible to achieve pink tones with mixtures of mineral pigments, especially oxides of iron, ultramarine and manganese violet.
Beet extract or pigments extracted from the roots of royal algamula are also used, but sufficiently stable results are not achieved and do not match the opacity of carmine.
MORE UNDERSTANDING OF VEGAN COSMETICS NEEDED
In conclusion, vegan and natural products cannot offer the color red with the intensity and opacity of conventional products, but they can offer alternatives of very beautiful tones that do not entail any type of suffering.
