EU Inventory of Cosmetic Ingredients - CosIng

CosIng is the European Commission database with information on cosmetic ingredients contained in the:
"Cosmetics Directive" 76/768/EEC (Cosmetics Directive), as amended;

• Inventory of Cosmetic Ingredients, as amended; and 
• Opinions on cosmetic ingredients of the Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety(only limited to those published on the internet). 

You can search CosIng by INCI name, CAS or EC number and find the function and restriction of a particular ingredient in cosmetics.

International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI)

INCI standards for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. The INCI system was established in the early 1970’s by the Personal Care Products Council (former CTFA, Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association) and the list is maintained by the Personal Care Products Council. INCI names are used in the United States, the European Union, China, Japan, and many other countries, for listing ingredients on cosmetic product labels. With few exceptions, the INCI labeling names in all countries are the same.


At the moment, there are more than 16000 ingredients in INCI list, which is the most comprehensive listing of ingredients used in cosmetic and personal care products. The complete INCI list can be obtained in CD-ROM, book format or as website access through provided by the Personal Care Products Council.

Application of INCI Name

Companies can apply for an INCI name here. There is a $200.00 charge per trade name. It takes 3-6 months from the date an INCI application is submitted to be assigned an INCI name.

It shall be noted that the listing of an ingredient in INCI does mean the ingredient has been assessed. Assessment is carried out by Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) independently.

You shall also check chemical inventories and see if you need to do any chemical registrations.