Carminic acid is a natural compound extracted from cochineal insects, such as the cochineal, Armenian cochineal, and Polish cochineal. . The chromophore in this molecule is the conjugated pi system extending across the central anthraquinone ring system. Carminic acid can combine with various metals to form the pigment carmine.2 In industry, it is commonly complexed with aluminum to produce a purple/pink precipitate (with calcium as a counterion). Carmine’s color differs depending on the metal it is complexed to. For centuries, carminic acid and carmine have been used as dyes. The source material is cochineal, a blood-like fluid found within the cochineal insect. Currently, carminic acid and carmine have a multitude of applications in the modern world. They are used as nontoxic food additives and biological stains and are finding new uses as electrochemical modifiers and photosensitizers.

D&C Red No. 27 are fluorescein-based dyes that were approved in 1982 for use in drugs and cosmetics Cosmetic retail products containing this dye is primarily lipsticks and blushers. D&C Red No. 27 physically associated with non-aqueous aluminum or zirconium minerals (lakes) and used in lipsticks, blushers, make-up preparations, hair dyes and colors, rouges and face powders. The FDA lists D&C Red No. 27 as a safe additive for drugs and cosmetics as per FDA standards.

FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine, Colour Index No. 19140) is a color additive permitted in the United States for coloring foods (including dietary supplements), ingested and externally applied drugs, and cosmetics. It is a nitrous derivative and is known to cause allergic reactions such as asthma and urticaria, as well as having been the focus of studies on mutagenesis and carcinogenesis due to its transformation into aromatic amine sulfanilic acid after being metabolized by the gastrointestinal microflora.

Rhodamine B is a fluorescent dye whose quantum yield is strongly dependent on temperature in the range of 0°C to 100°C, making it ideal for liquid based systems. It is a cell-permeant fluorogenic dye most often used as a conjugate to antibodies and proteins for fluorescence detection in microscopy. Rhodamine B is widely used in industrial purposes, such as printing and dyeing in textile, paper, paints, leathers etc. Rhodamine B was tested for use as a biomarker in oral rabies vaccines for raccoons, to identify animals that have eaten a vaccine bait. It has also been used as an anterograde and retrograde tracer in neurons and in nanoparticles to detect apoptosis.

D&C Green No. 5 is an FDA-approved, synthetic dye produced from petroleum or coal tar sources, that used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. D&C Green No. 5 may be safely used for coloring drugs and surgical sutures. In cosmetics, it can be used externally and in general cosmetics, including lipsticks, and cosmetics close to the eye.

D and C Red No. 28 (Red 28) FDA-approved color additive used in drugs and cosmetics, including lip and eye care products, face makeups, personal care products. It is also used in biological stains, inks, and lacquers for coating and dyeing paper. D and C Red No. 28 was also investigated for use as a fruit fly pesticide. A safe level of exposure for Red 28 is considered 1.25 mg/kg /day.