E120 - Carmine
By the Daat team · Updated October 30, 2026
E120, carmine, is a red colour made from cochineal insects. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
Cochineal is a small insect that lives on prickly-pear cacti. It is dried and crushed to make a stable red-purple colour that has been in use for centuries.
Many people are surprised to find it in savoury food: in our catalog it shows up most in sausages and meat products, ahead of sweets and strawberry yoghurts.
Labels may say E120, carmine, cochineal or carminic acid. If you are vegan, it is one of the numbers worth remembering.
In Daat’s catalog we found E120 in 67 of 16,831 products (0.4%), mostly in meat products and chocolate and sweets.
E120 at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Carmine |
| Also listed as | cochineal, carminic acid |
| Function | Colour |
| Origin | Insect |
| Vegan / vegetarian | No / No |
Is E120 vegan?
No. E120 comes from insects, so it suits neither vegans nor vegetarians.