Bromocresol purple is used in medical laboratories to measure albumin. Use of BCP in this application may provide some advantage over older methods using bromocresol green. In microbiology, it is used for staining dead cells based on their acidity, and for the isolation and assaying of lactic acid bacteria.
In photographic processing, it can be used as an additive to acid stop baths to indicate that the bath has reached neutral pH and needs to be replaced.
Bromocresol purple milk solids glucose agar is used as a medium used to distinguish dermatophytes from bacteria and other organisms in cases of ringworm fungus (T. verrucosum) infestation in cattle and other animals.