Beetle-free and totally edible. When we were looking at how to add a subtle and natural colour to our lip balm, we found that most other brands used “Cochineal” as their natural red colouring. This can also be called “Carmine”, “Natural Colours” or “Natural Red Number 4”. This is made by boiling Cochineal insects in water and extracting the red dye from the insects as it breaks down. Although there is nothing wrong with this (except if you are a Cochineal beetle), it made us feel a bit funny about having bug residue on our lips, and so we looked for something nicer.
