What is E120?
E120 is the EU and UK code for carminic acid, cochineal extract and carmine, a deep red colour made by crushing dried cochineal insects. It colours some yoghurts, drinks, sausages and cosmetics. It is currently an approved colour in both the EU and the US, though the two label it very differently: the EU requires every colour to be named as Colour plus its E number or name, while the US requires this specific colour, and only this one among exempt colours, to be named outright as cochineal extract or carmine. For the halal, kosher and vegan question in depth, see Is carmine halal?
What E120 is made of, and how it is made
E120 comes from the female cochineal insect, Dactylopius coccus, a scale insect that lives on prickly pear cactus and is farmed mainly in Peru, with smaller production elsewhere. Producers harvest, dry and crush the insects, then extract the colouring compound, carminic acid, using water or a water-alcohol solution. That extract, used largely as is, is cochineal extract. Purifying it further into an aluminium or calcium-aluminium lake produces carmine, the more common commercial form. Both share the same E number, E120, and the same insect origin; carmine is simply the more processed, more purified version of cochineal extract.
EU status: approval and how it must be labelled
E120, listed as carminic acid and carmine, sits in Annex II Part B of the EU's consolidated food additive regulation, the list of currently authorised colours, so it is lawfully approved for use in EU food today. Labelling follows the general EU rule for every additive, not a rule specific to E120: under the food information regulation, an additive belonging to a listed category must be declared by that category name followed by its specific name or E number. For a colour, that means an EU ingredient list reads Colour (E120) or Colour (Cochineal), never just a bare E120 with no category word in front of it.
It is worth separating E120 clearly from the Southampton six, the group of synthetic azo dyes, E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 and E129, that must carry an additional EU warning about a possible effect on children's activity and attention. E120 is not on that list, carries no such warning, and is not chemically related to those dyes at all: it is an insect pigment, they are synthetic azo compounds. The two get confused because both are red colours used in similar products, but the regulatory treatment is entirely different.
US status: approval and the labelling rule that makes it easy to spot
In the US, the EU's E-number system is not used on labels at all; each additive gets its own listing in the Code of Federal Regulations instead. Cochineal extract and carmine are colour additives exempt from certification under 21 CFR 73.100, meaning FDA has judged that batch-by-batch certification is not necessary to protect public health for this colour. Most colours in that same exempt category can be declared generically, as Color Added or Artificial Color, with no specific name required. Not this one. Under 21 CFR 73.100(d)(2), a food label must "specifically declare the presence of the color additive by listing its respective common or usual name, 'cochineal extract' or 'carmine,' in the statement of ingredients." That requirement, added to the regulation in 2009, exists because cochineal extract and carmine have caused documented allergic reactions, including some severe cases, in a small number of consumers. It makes E120 one of the easiest additives to actually find on a US label, because the law will not let a manufacturer describe it any other way.
E120 by dietary profile
| Profile | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Halal | Concerns | Authorities differ. Several, including SANHA, call insect-derived colour haraam or doubtful. See Is carmine halal? for the full breakdown by authority. |
| Kosher | Concerns | Insects are not kosher under mainstream positions, and E120 is widely treated as not kosher on that basis. |
| Vegetarian | Concerns | The Vegetarian Society names it directly as an insect-derived dye that fails its trademark criteria. |
| Vegan | Concerns | Animal-derived under every definition used in vegan practice. The Vegan Society lists it to avoid. |
| Allergens | Concerns | Not one of the 9 major US or EU allergens, but it has caused documented reactions, which is part of why US law requires it to be named specifically rather than folded into a generic colour statement. |
This table is the short version. The halal question specifically has real disagreement between certifiers and schools of thought, sourced and explained line by line at Is carmine halal?
Where you will find E120
Common places E120 turns up: red and pink yoghurts and dairy desserts, fruit drinks and cordials, ice pops, some cured sausages and meat casings, certain sweets and glazes, and a wide range of cosmetics, where lipstick and blush most often list it as CI 75470 rather than E120 or carmine. Some products have removed it entirely: the current US and UK Skittles ingredient list has no E120, gelatin or other insect or animal colour, covered in full in Are Skittles halal?. Because reformulations happen without an announcement and differ by market, a fixed list of which products contain E120 goes stale quickly; scanning the exact product in front of you does not.
How to spot E120 on a label
- E120, on EU and UK ingredient lists, always preceded by the word Colour.
- Cochineal extract or carmine, the two mandatory US label names.
- Carminic acid, the underlying pigment compound, occasionally used directly.
- CI 75470, the Colour Index number, most common on cosmetics.
- Natural Red 4, an older colour common name still seen occasionally.
For the full alias list, including crimson lake, and what each name typically shows up on, see Is carmine halal?. For any other additive code, the E number checker covers the same ground for codes beyond E120.
Frequently asked questions
What is E120 made of?
Crushed cochineal insects. E120 covers carminic acid, cochineal extract and carmine, all derived from Dactylopius coccus, a scale insect farmed on prickly pear cactus, mainly in Peru. Producers harvest the dried female insects, extract carminic acid with water or an alcohol solution, then either use that extract directly as cochineal extract, or purify it further into an aluminium lake, which is carmine.
Is E120 halal?
Authorities disagree, and this page does not settle it. SANHA's live list rates it Haraam, its only entry on that list. The Halal Conformity Center files it under Depends on source, its doubtful category. We could not find a live source stating plainly that it is halal. See Is carmine halal? for the full breakdown, with each authority's own wording and the underlying fiqh question about eating insects.
Is E120 the same as the Southampton six colours with the hyperactivity warning?
No, and this is a common mix-up worth clearing up directly. The Southampton study colours that require the EU warning about a possible effect on children's activity and attention are E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 and E129, all synthetic azo dyes. E120 is not one of them, has no such mandatory warning, and is chemically unrelated: it is an insect-derived pigment, not a synthetic azo compound.
What is E120 called on a US label?
Carmine or cochineal extract. US rules do not use the E number system at all; 21 CFR 73.100(d)(2) requires the ingredient statement to name it specifically as cochineal extract or carmine, and forbids hiding it behind a generic Color Added or Artificial Color statement, which is allowed for most other exempt colours.
Is E120 vegan?
No. It is made from crushed insects, which makes it animal-derived under every definition used in vegan or vegetarian practice. The Vegan Society lists it among the ingredients to avoid outright.
What products contain E120?
Red and pink yoghurts, fruit drinks and cordials, ice pops, some cured sausages and meat casings, certain sweets and glazes, and many cosmetics, especially lipstick and blush, where it often appears as CI 75470 rather than E120 or carmine.
What this page is not
Allergens. PlatePal screens ingredient data, so this page is information and not medical advice. A recipe can change before the data does, and shared equipment never appears in an ingredient list. Always read the label on the package in your hand, and follow your allergist or doctor over any app.
Religious status. A screening result is not a religious ruling. Certifiers and schools of thought differ, and PlatePal does not rank them. For anything you hold yourself strictly to, ask a qualified authority or the certifier you already follow.
Data checked on 2026-09-12. Formulations change; verify your package.
Sources
- eCFR: 21 CFR 73.100, cochineal extract and carmine (full text, exact rule text) Checked 2026-09-12.
- FDA: Color Additives History (carmine as a lake of cochineal extract, insect origin, part 73 listing) Checked 2026-09-12.
- EUR-Lex: consolidated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II Part B (E120 carminic acid, carmine, authorised colours) and Annex V / Article 24 (Southampton six warning) Checked 2026-09-12.
- UK legislation.gov.uk: retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex VII Part C (additive category naming: Colour plus E number or name) Checked 2026-09-12.
- Food Standards Agency: approved additives and E numbers (E120 listed as Cochineal, Carminic acid, Carmines) Checked 2026-09-12.
- GOV.UK: Food additives guidance (the six colours requiring the activity and attention warning) Checked 2026-09-12.
- The Vegan Society: How to avoid buying non-vegan products Checked 2026-09-12.
- Vegetarian Society: How to Skip the Chore of Reading Food Labels Checked 2026-09-12.
Related reading: the halal, kosher and vegan question in full, with sources and the alias list, is at Is carmine halal?. See the ingredient itself and its label clues at the carmine ingredient guide. See how a real product handles this in Are Skittles halal?. E422, glycerin, raises a plant or animal sourcing question of its own, covered at is glycerin halal. For a full list of which other codes are halal, see the E numbers halal list. For any other additive code, start at the E number checker.