INCI Nomenclature & Ingredient Databases — Complete Guide

INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is the global standardised naming system used to identify the ingredients on a cosmetic label, regardless of language or country. Every ingredient on every cosmetic product sold in the EU, US and most other markets must be listed under its INCI name. COSMIC CoFormulator's INCI database covers more than 50,000 ingredients, refreshed every night, and lets a formulator evaluate any ingredient by safety, function, regulatory status and molecular properties in seconds.

What INCI actually is

INCI was created in 1973 by the Personal Care Products Council (then CTFA) and is now maintained jointly with international trade associations. The system assigns one canonical name per ingredient — for example, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Aqua, Tocopheryl Acetate — so that a label is readable across markets without translation.

Today, more than 24,000 ingredients have an officially assigned INCI name in the global INCI Dictionary. The number used in real formulations across the cosmetic industry is significantly higher when supplier trade names, mixtures and natural extracts are included — which is why COSMIC's working catalog of 50,000+ ingredients goes well beyond the official dictionary.

How CosIng works

CosIng is the European Commission's public database of cosmetic substances and ingredients. It mirrors the regulatory annexes of EU Regulation EC 1223/2009:

  • Annex II — substances prohibited in cosmetic products
  • Annex III — substances restricted (with concentration caps, conditions of use, label warnings)
  • Annex IV — permitted colorants
  • Annex V — permitted preservatives
  • Annex VI — permitted UV filters

For each ingredient CosIng exposes the INCI name, CAS / EC number, restrictions, SCCS opinions and intended functions. CosIng is the authoritative source for EU regulatory status but it is not a formulation tool — it does not return molecular properties, supplier alternatives, function combinations or formulation guidance.

How COSMIC uses 50,000+ INCI ingredients

The COSMIC INCI catalog (inci.inci_catalog) integrates the official INCI dictionary, CosIng regulatory annexes, supplier trade names and curated formulation data. It is refreshed every night so newly listed ingredients, updated SCCS opinions and revised restrictions appear in the platform within 24 hours.

For each INCI entry, COSMIC stores:

  • INCI name, alternate names, CAS and EC numbers
  • Function tags (emulsifier, emollient, surfactant, preservative, UV filter, humectant, chelator, fragrance, …)
  • Regulatory status across 8 markets (EU, US, CN, JP, KR, CA, BR, AU)
  • Concentration caps, label warnings and conditions of use
  • Active / inactive flag and preservative flag
  • HLB value where applicable
  • Molecular properties (when available): logP, molecular weight, hydrogen-bond donor / acceptor counts, polar surface area
  • Supplier trade-name links and supplier alternatives

The enriched view app.user_ingredients_enriched joins a user's private supplier catalog against the global INCI catalog, so a formulator's own raw materials inherit function tags, HLB, regulatory status and active / preservative flags automatically.

Partnership with GravelAI

COSMIC is integrated with GravelAI.com — a partnership that brings a 700,000+ market-product catalog into the platform. That partnership powers the Cloning Formulator: a formulator can paste a competitor's INCI list, look up the matching product in the GravelAI index and reverse-engineer a functional clone formula in minutes. GravelAI ingredient and product data flows into COSMIC under the same nightly refresh cycle as the core INCI catalog.

How to search and evaluate an INCI ingredient

Across COSMIC's INCI Explorer the workflow is the same:

  1. Search by INCI, CAS, function or supplier trade name. Free-text search returns the canonical INCI entry plus its regulatory and functional metadata.
  2. Check the regulatory status. The 8-market badge strip shows EU / US / CN / JP / KR / CA / BR / AU status at a glance, with the underlying restriction (concentration cap, conditions of use, label warning) one click away.
  3. Check the function profile. Function tags drive substitution: a formulator looking to swap a non-ionic emulsifier can filter the catalog by function + HLB band
    • active flag in one query.
  4. Check the safety profile. SCCS opinions, allergen status, and the active / preservative flags come from the regulatory layer; molecular properties come from the enrichment layer.
  5. Check supplier alternatives. Where supplier links are available, the entry shows trade names and supplier alternatives so the formulator can pick a real raw material.

A typical ingredient evaluation that would take 15 to 30 minutes across CosIng, supplier datasheets and SCCS opinion PDFs is reduced to a single search in COSMIC.

Why a formulator-grade INCI database is different from a label-checker

Many cosmetic apps use the term "INCI database" to mean a label-decoder for consumers. A formulator-grade database has to do far more:

  • Cover supplier trade names alongside the official INCI (a formulator buys Tinosorb S, not "Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine")
  • Carry HLB values for surfactants and emulsifiers so emulsion design works
  • Carry molecular properties so substitution by similarity is possible
  • Carry the active / preservative flags so the orchestrator can balance the formula automatically
  • Stay current — regulatory annexes change throughout the year, which is why nightly refresh matters

COSMIC's INCI catalog is built to that formulator-grade specification, and is the data layer that the formula generator, the cloning engine and the regulatory module all sit on top of.

FAQ

What does INCI stand for?

International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients — the global standardised naming system used on cosmetic labels.

Is CosIng the same as the INCI Dictionary?

No. CosIng is the European Commission's regulatory database for cosmetic substances, mirroring the Annexes of EU Regulation EC 1223/2009. The INCI Dictionary is the global naming standard maintained by the Personal Care Products Council and partner trade associations. The two overlap but are not identical.

How many INCI ingredients does COSMIC's database contain?

More than 50,000 entries, refreshed every night. The number goes beyond the official INCI Dictionary because the catalog also covers supplier trade names, mixtures and curated formulation data.

How often is COSMIC's INCI database updated?

Nightly. New INCI listings, updated SCCS opinions and revised regulatory restrictions appear in the platform within 24 hours of publication.

What is the GravelAI partnership?

GravelAI.com is COSMIC's data partner for market-product intelligence. The partnership brings a 700,000+ market-product catalog into the platform and powers the Cloning Formulator, which reverse-engineers competitor formulas from an INCI list.

Can I search COSMIC's INCI database by CAS number?

Yes. The INCI Explorer accepts INCI name, alternate names, CAS number, EC number, function tag and supplier trade name.

Does COSMIC tell me if an ingredient is banned in a specific market?

Yes. Every INCI entry carries an 8-market regulatory badge (EU / US / CN / JP / KR / CA / BR / AU) with the underlying restriction visible on click. Output is indicative — final regulatory sign-off must be done by a qualified expert.

What is HLB and why does the INCI database carry it?

HLB (Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance) is a numerical scale that describes how water- or oil-loving a surfactant is. COSMIC stores HLB values for surfactants and emulsifiers because the formula generator and the Emulsion Designer use them to build stable emulsions automatically.

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