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Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

CosIng – Glossary of ingredients

Article 19(1)(g) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 requires the labelling information on cosmetic products to include a list of ingredients. The ingredients are to be expressed using the common ingredient name set out in a glossary compiled and updated by the Commission pursuant to Article 33 of that Regulation. The glossary takes account of internationally recognised nomenclatures including the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI).

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 repealed and replaced Council Directive 76/768/EEC

The inventory of ingredients used in cosmetic products and the common ingredients nomenclature referred to in Articles 5a and 7(2) of that Directive were established by Commission Decision 96/335/EC and updated in 2006 by Commission Decision 2006/257/EC. The inventory and nomenclature have since become outdated as a result of the high number of new ingredients introduced onto the market every year.

Moreover, the requirements set out in Article 5a of Directive 76/768/EEC for the content of the inventory go beyond the requirements set out in Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 for the content of a glossary of common ingredient names. Therefore, the list of ingredients contained in Decision 96/335/EC should be replaced and adapted to cover new ingredients introduced onto the market and to confine its content to the requirements of Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. (Decision 96/335/EC is repealed with effect from 8 May 2020).

More information on the glossary

Article 19(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 provides that, for colourants other than colourants intended to colour the hair, the CI (colour index) nomenclature is to be used, where applicable, to label cosmetic products. The CI number should, therefore, be listed as the common ingredient name for colourants other than colourants intended to colour the hair.

Some ingredients used in perfume and aromatic compositions do not have an INCI name. So-called ‘perfuming names’ have been used in the Union for the labelling of cosmetic products containing these ingredients. Therefore, for these ingredients, the glossary should list the perfuming names that have previously been used for them in the Union.

The second paragraph of Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 provides that the common ingredient names listed in the glossary are to be applied, to label cosmetic products placed on the market, at the latest 12 months after publication of the glossary in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Notes

  • This glossary does not constitute a list of ingredients authorised for use in cosmetic products.
  • The current version of the glossary does not establish an exhaustive list of ingredients and it is subject to updating.
  • For ingredients not included in the current version, the internationally recognised nomenclature - including the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) - can be used for labelling.

Relevant documents

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/677 of 31 March 2022 regarding the glossary of common ingredient names for use in the labelling of cosmetic products
Commission Decision (EU) 2019/701 of 5 April 2019 establishing a glossary of common ingredient names for use in the labelling of cosmetic products
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products
Commission Decision 2006/257/EC of 9 February 2006 establishing a glossary of common ingredient names for use in the labelling of cosmetic products
Commission Decision 96/335/EC of 8 May 1996 establishing an inventory and a common nomenclature of ingredients employed in cosmetic products
Council Directive 76/768/EEC of 27 July 1976 n the approximation of the laws of the EU countries relating to cosmetic products