Carmine: Bugs in Your Cosmetics?
Peeps, beware! Always read ingredients every time you shop for cosmetics, skincare, food, beverages, candy—aka everything. Be extra suspicious of products that have a red or pink color to them (check your lipsticks, blushes and shadows, Ladies!)… more often than not, they contain B-U-G-S! Lucky for us, there are kinder, less grody versions of all of our beauty and foodie needs in the marketplace, so shop wisely.
Key ingredients to bug out about: cochineal extract, carmine, crimson lake, natural red 4, C.I. 75470, E120, or even natural coloring
Yup, every single one of these ingredients is derived from crushed, scaly little insects like this one (cochineal beetle):
If you’re like WTF?, join the club! These little critters are commercially harvested in Africa, Spain and Central America—to have their bodies dried and crushed for red coloring.
Aside from the non-vegan and nastiness factors, it turns out this beetle juice can be dangerous to your health. Check out this clip for more info:
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)
Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at Sunny@VeganBeautyReview.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.Filed in: Vegan Beauty
