Abstract: Oil-soluble cochineal dye derivative was obtained through molecule esterification of carminic acid with dodecyl succinicanhydride (DDSA). Based on the results of the single factor experiments, response surface methodology was applied to further optimize the pretreatment conditions. The obtained optimal conditions were raw materials 0.5 g, the quality ratio of DDSA and cochineal dye 2.3, the dosage of the catalyst triethylamine 1.8 mL, temperature 67 ℃, reaction time 6 h, and solvent N, N-dimethyl formamide 20 mL. Under these conditions, the product yield was 41.59%. The structure of the product was characterized by FT-IR and UV-Vis. The results showed that esterification reaction happened between DDSA and cochineal dye. The λmax and color of target product was strongly influenced by pH in alkaline solution. The product presented good solubility in corn oil, dyeing effect and stability with the solubility of 6.53 in oil (20 ℃). The solubility of cochineal red pigment was improved effectively.