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What's the big deal with Carmine/Cochineal?
For me, it is a big deal. There is no excuse in my book; beauty shouldn't cost another living conscious being's life and/or suffering.
Interestingly, carmine (carmine = a vivid crimson colour) is used in ingredient listings these days, simply because the Oxford English Dictionary only summarises this as a 'colour', it does then describe the source, from Cochineal… Only those that want to know more, what is Cochineal will find the true source of this colouring ingredient, insects. Or, sometimes it is just known as a CI number: CI 75470.
Maybe it is because these insects are not fluffy bunny rabbits, most people just think, it is ok? Maybe, people just don't know about it, which is ironic, as every woman's lipstick, a certain shade granted, will have this ingredient in it… but, don't women just hate the idea of insects, and the idea of smearing on a lipstick made from the crushed bodies of insects is ok, and not disturbing, at all?
Maybe it is just me, but I do think there must be a better way?
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, this is the meaning of Cochineal:
1. Cochineal: a scarlet dye used chiefly for colouring food. The dried bodies of a female scale insect, which are crushed to yield this dye. A similar dye or preparation made from the oak kermes insect.
2. (Cochineal Insect) the scale insect that is used for cochineal, native to Mexico and formerly widely cultivated on cacti.
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