What is CI 75470?

CI stands for Colour Index, an international naming system for colourants. Every colour in a cosmetic gets one, which is why a lipstick’s ingredient list ends in a run of five-digit numbers that all look the same.

CI 75470 is the one worth recognising, because it is animal-derived and the others around it usually are not.

Same substance, three vocabularies

On a cosmetic it is CI 75470. On a US food label it is carmine or cochineal extract, named in full because the rules require it. In the EU food system it is E120.

One pigment, three naming conventions, depending on which regulation is looking at it. That is not evasion, it is three different systems that grew up separately, but the practical effect for a shopper is the same as if it were hidden.

Why it matters to some people and not others

It is made from insects, so it is not vegan and most vegetarians avoid it. That is the most common reason people look it up.

The second reason is allergy. Reactions to carmine are documented, and they are why US labelling requires the name to appear rather than allowing it to sit inside a generic “colour” declaration. It is not one of the nine major US allergens, so there is no bold “Contains” statement anywhere; the name in the list is the entire protection.

For most people it is not a safety concern, and the Carmine page goes through why in more detail.

The rest of the numbers

Not all colour index numbers are animal-derived, and most are not. CI 77891 is titanium dioxide, CI 77491 is an iron oxide. There is no way to tell from the number itself, which is exactly why the names index exists on this site.

If you are avoiding animal ingredients generally, the page on reading labels for that covers the ones that hide in cosmetics.