The red dye derived from cochineal insects and often used in lipstick is carmine.
Carmine is a concentrated red colorant made from carminic acid, a pigment obtained mainly from female cochineal insects. These insects live on prickly-pear and related cactus plants, especially in regions of Mexico and Central and South America. The dried insects are processed, and the extracted pigment is combined with metal salts to produce the vivid red compound called carmine.
Cochineal extract and carmine are closely related but are not exactly identical terms. Cochineal extract refers more broadly to coloring made from processed insect material, while carmine is the more purified pigment. In ingredient lists, the color may also appear as cochineal, E120, or Natural Red 4.
Carmine was important in the history of cosmetics and textiles long before modern synthetic dyes. In the 19th century it colored lipstick, which was often applied with a brush rather than sold in a modern swivel tube. Red 7 and iron oxides are different colorants, while titanium dioxide is primarily a white pigment.