Makeup Enthusiasts: Are You Smearing Dead Bugs on Your Face?
Something sinister may be lurking in your eyeshadow or lipstick. Some vivid red or purple pigments may come from the guts of thousands of insects. Yep, you read that right. You could be smearing crushed-up bodies onto your face.
Who Are Cochineals?
Cochineals are tiny scale insects native to Central and South America and the Southwest United States. While males fly, lady cochineals are wingless and make prickly pear cacti their home. They form a sorority of sorts, huddling together in groups, drinking juice from the cacti, and creating a white, waxy shield that protects them from the sun and moisture loss. Female cochineals produce a red chemical, carminic acid, that keeps them safe from predators.
To steal this acid for red dyes, workers knock or scrape the females off of their homes and kill them, typically by boiling them alive or then baking them in the sun. The insects are then crushed into powder.
It takes about 70,000 of these animals to produce just 1 pound of dye.
But here’s the thing. Insects aren’t dye. These animals aren’t ingredients. Their bodies were never ours to use.
Check out this video:
How Can I Avoid Carmine?
1. Buy Vegan!
The easiest way to make sure you’re not supporting animal slaughter in the products you use is to buy from vegan companies like e.l.f. and Pacifica.
2. Check Ingredients
The second-easiest way is to glance at the ingredient lists of cosmetics, personal care products, and food.
In the U.S., manufacturers are required to list “carmine” or “cochineal extract” by name on the labels of foods and cosmetics, making it easier to spot and avoid. Outside of the U.S., check for “CI 75470,” “crimson lake,” and “natural red 4.”
If you spot any of these, choose another product. Then message the company and tell them you won’t buy it until they stop using insect bodies.
Last But Not Least
But before you totally freak out and start tossing out all your makeup, take a breath. There’s no such thing as perfection. It’s all about doing our best to respect our fellow animals as individuals and not to exploit them in a world built on their use. Making decisions based on progress—not purity—helps animals the most.
To find more brands that don’t harm animals, search our database of cruelty-free products!
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