E120 Carmine (cochineal): Halal or Haram?

Haram

A red colour made from dried cochineal insects. E120 Carmine (cochineal) is haram. On German labels: Karmin, Cochenille, echtes Karmin.

Carmine powder and the cochineal insects it is made from

Why it is haram

Most schools and certifiers, JAKIM and HFA among them, forbid eating insects, so it is treated as not Halal. The Maliki school and MUI permit it.

Where you meet it

Strawberry yoghurts, sweets, red sauces and drinks.

What to do in the shop

Put it back, or pick a product coloured with beetroot, paprika or another plant colour. No vegan, vegetarian or Halal mark changes E120: it is an insect either way.

A status here describes the additive in general, and for this one no source changes it. Carmine is always made from cochineal insects, so there is no Halal version to look for. Red colours from beetroot, paprika or radish are listed under their own names or numbers.

Questions people ask

Is E120 Halal?

No. E120 Carmine (cochineal) is haram. Most schools and certifiers, JAKIM and HFA among them, forbid eating insects, so it is treated as not Halal. The Maliki school and MUI permit it.

What can I look for instead?

A product coloured with beetroot, paprika or another plant colour, or one with no red colour at all.

Products we checked that contain E120

Related additives

See all E-numbers →

Read this in Turkish: E120 helal mi? →

Products we asked the manufacturer about →

Check a product, not just a number

An additive's status describes the additive in general. What matters is the whole ingredient list on the packet in your hand.

This is information, not a fatwa. These statuses combine published scholarly positions with ingredient analysis, and they can be incomplete or out of date. For anything that matters, confirm with the manufacturer and with a qualified authority.