[3] The Persian term carmir is likely cognate with Sanskrit krimiga ("insect-produced"), from krmi ("worm, insect").

[5] It is a popular food color, used in yogurt, candy, gelatin, meat, and beverages including fruit juices.

[6][7][8] Female Dactylopius coccus (cochineal) insects were used for their red coloring power as early as 700 BC.

The combination of these factors contributed to the end of the Spanish monopoly and considerably lowered the price of carmine, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Carmine is a colorant used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, crimson ink, rouge and other cosmetics, and some medications.

[14][15] To prepare carmine, the powdered scale insect bodies are boiled in an ammonia or sodium carbonate solution.

The traditional crimson color is affected not only by carminic acid but also by choice of its chelating metal salt ion.

[18] Scientists can detect the presence of carminic acid through liquid chromatography and a diode array detector combined with a mass spectrometer with a quadruple-time-of-flight analyzer (LC-DAD-QTOF).

In Europe, the 16th century Italian painter Jacopo Tintoretto used carmine in several of his paintings, the most notable being Portrait of Vincenzo Morosini (1575-80) and Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples(1575-80).

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, General Engineer of France, recommended the use of this red pigment to represent fortifications (ramparts, wood timbers, and brick buildings being reddish).

[31]: 70–71  This made buildings more distinct on maps[32]: 104 Carmine is present in numerous cosmetics because of its red color.

[citation needed] Cochineal, the insect used to make carmine, also has medical properties that were exploited by the Aztecs.

[36] It was also announced that the FDA will separately review the ingredient labels of prescription drugs that contain colorings derived from carmine.

[37][38] Food industries were aggressively opposed to the idea of writing "insect-based" on the label, and the FDA agreed to allow "cochineal extract" or "carmine".

The EFSA had raised concerns over the increasing number of allergic reactions to carmine derived from insects (E120.360), when used within the British Pharmacopoeia.

Pharmaceutical products which had previously contained insect-derived carmine, have been replaced with a synthesized version of the food colorant.

Internal studies have shown that the new formulations of popular anti-nausea and weight-gain liquid medication had a significantly lower risk in terms of allergic reactions.