Lipstick has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Babylon days-semi-precious jewels were crushed and applied to the lips and occasionally around the eyes. (I guess that’s where cosmetics came up with sparkle.) Cleopatra had her lipstick made from carmine beetles, which gave a deep pigment, and she had her base made from ants.
Carmine also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I 75470, or E120 is a pigment of a bright red color obtained from the carminic acid produced by some scale insects, such as the cochineal and the Polish cochineal, and is used as a general term for a particularly deep, red color. Carmine is used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, paints, rouge, cosmetics, food additives, and crimson ink.