Debut Biotech has created a vegan, bio-identical alternative to carmine using biotechnology. Carmine is a vibrant red dye commonly used in beauty products like lipstick, blush, and eye shadow. It is traditionally made from the cochineal beetle, with 70,000 beetles needed to produce a fifth of a pound of colorant.
Debut’s breakthrough came after discovering two new enzymes within the beetle responsible for the color. This discovery could lead to many more applications across beauty, food, medicine, and other industries. Debut’s synthetic carmine has around 95% purity, compared to traditional carmine’s 10% purity.
It also lacks a protein found in carmine that can irritate the skin. The global carmine market was valued at $47.88 million in 2023 and is estimated to reach $78.18 million by 2032.
Vegan dye for beauty industry
Debut’s announcement is well-timed with the FDA’s recent ban on Red No. 3, a synthetic dye used in packaged foods and certain drugs, due to potential carcinogenic properties. Debut’s innovation aligns with the growth of the vegan beauty marketplace.
Animal testing and sourcing have become contentious issues for the beauty industry as vegan and cruelty-free products resonate better with changing consumer values. The vegan beauty category was valued at $19.12 billion in 2024 and could grow to reach $32.56 billion by 2030. Many brands focused on Gen Z and millennials already use red dye alternatives to carmine, but they often rely on petrochemicals.
Debut believes their bio-based carmine will ultimately be cheaper than both natural carmine and the vegan petrochemical alternatives available today. Debut launched in San Diego in 2019 and has taken on $70 million in total investment, with L’Oréal’s VC arm, Bold Ventures, as the majority investor. The new ingredient will be available to the beauty industry around 2027 through Debut’s contract manufacturing business unit BiotechXBeautyLabs.
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