Body & Beauty / Compounds / Carmine

Carmine on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Safety profile for Carmine relevant to people.

What is carmine?

The IUPAC name is cochineal extract carminic acid.

Also known as: cochineal extract carminic acid, B Rose liquid, 3,5,6,8-tetrahydroxy-1-methyl-9,10-dioxo-7-[(2R,3R,4R,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]anthracene-2-carboxylic acid, Carmine (Coccus cacti L.).

IUPAC name
cochineal extract carminic acid
CAS number
1390-65-4
Molecular formula
C22H20O13
Molecular weight
492.39 g/mol
SMILES
CC1=C2C(=CC(=C1C(=O)O)O)C(=O)C3=C(C2=O)C(=C(C(=C3O)O)C4C(C(C(C(O4)CO)O)O)O)O
PubChem CID
14749

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Carmine. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
FDA——
EMA——
ECHA——

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter carmine

  • red food coloring
  • beverages
  • yogurt
  • candies
  • cosmetics

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Carmine:

  • Beetroot red (betanin, E162)
    Trade-offs: Less heat-stable. pH-sensitive (best in acid). Earthy flavor at high levels.
    Relative cost: Similar
  • Anthocyanin extracts (grape skin, elderberry)
    Trade-offs: Color shifts with pH (red in acid, blue in base). Lower tinctorial strength.
    Relative cost: 1.5-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain carmine?

Carmine appears in: red food coloring; beverages; yogurt.

See Carmine in the body app

Look up products containing carmine, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 1390-65-4 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →