Free shipping and returns on MAC Cremesheen Lipstick at Nordstrom.com. What it is: A creamy, balmy lipstick with a comforting feel, medium buildable coverage and a semi-glossy finish. What it does: Delivering immediate shine and instant hydration to your lips, this lipstick features the same formula that made the brand famous. How to use: Prep your lips with a primer before applying color. MAC Love Me Lipstick. Regular Price $21.00 $12.99. Regular Price $19.00 $12.99. Clinique Even Better Refresh 1 Fluid Ounce NC40 Cream Chamois. Regular Price $32.00 Special Price $28.99. MAC Versicolour Varnish Cream Lip Stain: Effervescent, Like Candy, Set of 2. Regular Price $44.00 Special Price $29.99. MAC Lustre Lipstick. MAC Love Me Lipstick. Regular Price $21.00 $12.99. Regular Price $19.00 $12.99. Clinique Even Better Refresh 1 Fluid Ounce NC40 Cream Chamois. Regular Price $32.00 Special Price $28.99. MAC Versicolour Varnish Cream Lip Stain: Effervescent, Like Candy, Set of 2. Regular Price $44.00 Special Price $29.99. MAC Lustre Lipstick. Which MAC Makeup Items Are Vegan. The most common ingredients that MAC uses that are non-vegan include lanolin, beeswax, and carmine. Unfortunately, the popular MAC eye kohl is made with beeswax, although some colors are carmine-free. However, many colors of their eye makeup and several other products do not contain carmine or other animal byproducts, including.
Lipsticks can be made in many shades of colors and textures, but one type of lipstick always managed to remain popular and in the forefront of world’s fashion – bright red lipstick that gets its color from the ingredient called carmine.
Carmine (also called Cochineal, Crimson Lake, Natural Red or E120) is a bright red pigment that contains aluminum salt of carminic acid. It can most easily be found as product of some scale insects, most commonly cochineal insects that are native to tropical and subtropical South America and Mexico. Carminic acid that they produce serve the purpose of protection against other predatory insects, and it usually takes from 17 to 24% of insect’s body. This dye has become very popular in general population because of its good mixing properties, and good health compatibility (coal tar based red dyes are linked with cancer).
Manufacture of carmine is done by boiling powdered remains of bugs and their eggs in ammonia or sodium carbonate solution, and then mixing it with alum to filter the remains of carminic acid. What remains is the red aluminum salt pigment that has its purity determined by the presence of the iron in its structure. Various purple shades of carmine color can be created by adding lime in the mix. Another important ingredient in the creation of carmine is sunlight. Exposing the carmine mix to the sunlight creates its brilliant hue.
Another source of Carmine color can be found in fruit extracts, such as ruby red grapefruit juice, strawberry orange juice, pomegranate cherry juice, and others. All these natural pigments have in their structure proteins, which can cause allergic reactions to small percentage of people. Because of that, chemist found the way of synthesizing dyes that have very similar shade of red, but no one has managed to create exact replica. The closest one is FD&C Red #40 that has slight orange tint.
Currently, Carmine dye is used not only in creation of bright red lipsticks, but also for coloring clothes, various items, pharmaceutical products, and even foods. Various governing bodies (such as US and EU) have tight control over the use of carmine in food products. In Europe, every food product that has carmine coloring must have clear and easily read list of all ingredients on its packaging (carmine must be identified there as either “food colour carmines” or “food colour E 120”).
A while back, the internet was a buzz after learning that the red color of the infamous Starbucks frapp is from crushed bugs and not fruit. The dyes used in their strawberry drinks used to contain cochineal, a coloring agent made from crushed, ground up tiny beetles primarily found in South America and Mexico. The company released a statement saying, “At Starbucks, we strive to carry products that meet a variety of dietary lifestyles and needs. We also have the goal to minimize artificial ingredients in our products. While the strawberry base isn’t a vegan product, it helps us move away from artificial dyes.”
You don’t say. Heaven forbid they use actual real strawberries to make a “strawberry” drink. I know, it’s such a radical, tree hugging idea to use the real red ingredient that’s listed as being sold.
After the fallout from the revelation that people had been sipping on crushed bugs this whole time, the company released a statement saying, “Our expectation is to be fully transitioned to lycopene, a natural, tomato-based extract, in the strawberry sauce (base) used in our Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino® blended beverage and Strawberry Banana Smoothie. […] Our intention is to be fully transitioned from existing product inventories to revised food and beverage offerings near the end of June [2012] across the U.S.”
WHAT IS COCHINEAL?
Cochineal has been used since the 15th century as a coloring agent. However, one would think that as our technology advanced so has our coloring skills. But here is the kicker, after all that lead in lipstick hoopla, it’s even more uncommonly known that that cochineal is frequently used in cosmetics, more specifically red based cosmetics, like your lipsticks. In the packaging, this red base is listed as “Carmine,” “Natural Red 4,” or “Crimson Lake.” Yes ladies, there are crushed bugs in lipstick.
IS COCHINEAL DANGEROUS?
Many people are allergic to these bugs and the dye is known to cause severe allergic reactions and asthma. However, cochineal is considered safe by the FDA, and is used to color jellies, alcoholic drinks, meat, cookies, cheddar cheese and other desserts including red velvet cake (we know! the hurt!) plus many other food products that we eat daily. Honestly, we kinda don’t think it’s such a big problem to color cosmetics and other foods with cochineal but it could pose a problem for some of us, understandably.
Does Mac Lipstick Contain Carmine
WHAT ARE THE BEST VEGAN, BUG FREE LIPSTICK BRANDS?
Luckily, there are options if you don’t want to deal with crushed bugs in lipstick. Here is a list of “Carmine,” “Natural Red 4,” “Crimson Lake,” and vegan lipstick brands to try so you can stop bugging out, Lydia.
100% Pure
Afterglow Cosmetics
Alba Botanica (primarily lipglosses)
Alima Pure
Au Naturale
Aveda
DuWop
e.l.f.
Emani Vegan Cosmetics
Gabriel Cosmetics
INGLOT
Inika
Juice Beauty
Just Pure Minerals
Kat Von D
Lime Crime
Mineral Fusion
Nvey Eco
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
Pacifica
Vegan Lip Color
Cruelty Free Lipstick
