How to use the CosIng database to check a cosmetic ingredient
CosIng is the European Commission's free database of cosmetic ingredients, INCI names and Annex entries. How to search it and what it can't tell you.
How to use the CosIng database for ingredient checks
The CosIng database is the European Commission's free online database of cosmetic ingredients and substances, at ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing. Search by INCI name, chemical name, CAS or EC number (CosIng user guide).
It pulls together substances and ingredients from Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Directive 76/768/EEC as amended, the glossary of common ingredient names and opinions of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) (Commission CosIng page). The data goes back to the adoption of the Cosmetics Directive in 1976. Current entries are marked "active" and historical ones "not active". SCCS references are limited to opinions published on the internet.
The Commission says CosIng "has informative purpose and no legal value" (Commission CosIng page): the law is the Regulation and its Annexes.
How to search the CosIng database
The user guide "Guide to Consulting CosIng" (CosIng 2.0, last published 4 July 2023) describes two search modes (CosIng user guide). Quick search finds entries by substance names, INCI names, INN names, chemical/IUPAC names, CAS or EC numbers. Filter by scope, status or both:
- Scope: whether the entry sits in the Inventory, or in the Cosmetics Regulation as Prohibited, Restricted, Colorant, Preservative or UV filter.
- Status: "Active" for current entries, "Not Active" for historical ones.
Advanced search adds INN name, Ph. Eur. name, restriction, function, annex reference number, regulation reference and Official Journal publication date (CosIng user guide). The guide's own example is Methanol, reference number 52 in Annex III. You can also filter by other legislation linked to a substance, including REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) and CLP (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008). The Commission page also confirms that CAS, ELINCS and EINECS numbers are searchable.
Click a result to open its detail record, which you can save as a printer-friendly PDF. Reference data menus list Regulations, Annexes, Functions (with definitions) and INCI abbreviations. Click a function to list all active ingredients with it, or an annex to list all its active substances. The "Proposed" checkbox shows inventory updates published for review and comment (CosIng user guide). These steps follow the July 2023 user guide, so today's screens may look slightly different.
Reading a CosIng record
"Ingredients are laid down in capital letters and cover entries under the inventory. Substances are laid down in small letters and cover entries under Annexes of the Cosmetics Regulation" (CosIng user guide). Read the lower-case name for Annex conditions (the capitals will not give you the limit). A red star marks a substance that has never been published in the Official Journal (CosIng user guide). The Annexes of Regulation 1223/2009 work like this:
| Annex | Covers |
|---|---|
| II | Prohibited substances |
| III | Restricted substances |
| IV | Allowed colorants |
| V | Allowed preservatives |
| VI | Allowed UV filters |
Annexes III, V and VI share the same columns: reference number, chemical name/INN, glossary name, CAS, EC, product type/body parts, maximum concentration in the ready for use preparation, other, and wording of conditions of use and warnings. Annex II lists only reference number, name, CAS and EC. Entries in Annexes III to VI don't cover nanomaterials unless they say so (Regulation 1223/2009).
For colorants, preservatives and UV filters, CosIng lists only the ingredients authorised in Annexes IV, V and VI. It may also list ingredients known to be used in medicinal products. Whether a given product is a medicine or a cosmetic is decided case by case by national competent authorities (Commission CosIng page).
What CosIng can't tell you
An INCI name in the inventory section "does not mean it is to be used in cosmetic products nor approved for such use" (Commission CosIng page). The page, modified 9 July 2026, adds that "Only Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and its Annexes establish whether, and under which conditions, substances may be used in cosmetic products."
The cross-references between regulated substances and inventory ingredients aren't binding, and inventory ingredients "do not represent a positive list of substances which can be used in cosmetic products" (CosIng user guide). The Commission's fragrance allergens page (modified 24 August 2026) says CosIng does not itself determine whether an ingredient may be used, and points to Annex III as the binding list of fragrance allergens. The use of any ingredient must be supported by a product safety assessment (Commission CosIng page).
In practice, use CosIng to find the name and the Annex reference. Then check the entry in EUR-Lex and any later amending acts. As of 30 September 2026, its latest consolidation is dated 18 May 2026. Consolidated texts have no legal effect. Only Official Journal texts are authentic (EUR-Lex). The Annexes have moved in the last year:
- Regulation (EU) 2025/877 on CMR substances applied from 1 September 2025 and banned TPO in nail products.
- Regulation (EU) 2026/78, also on CMR substances, applied from 1 May 2026.
- Regulation (EU) 2026/909, published 28 April 2026, covers Benzyl Salicylate, Triphenyl Phosphate, Citral, DHHB and others. Non-compliant products can't be placed on the market from 1 January 2027.
CosIng may lag behind recent amendments, so check the acts themselves before relying on a database entry.
INCI names and the official EU INCI list
INCI nomenclature is the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. New INCI names are assigned by the International Nomenclature Committee, and applications go through the Personal Care Products Council (UK OPSS guidance).
The binding list of label names is the glossary set by Commission Decision, not the database. Article 33 of Regulation 1223/2009 requires the Commission to keep a glossary of common ingredient names that takes account of INCI. The glossary "shall not constitute a list of the substances authorised for use in cosmetic products." Article 19(6) says the ingredient list on the label must use the glossary name. Where there is none, a term from a generally accepted nomenclature is used.
The glossary has been replaced twice. Decision (EU) 2019/701 was the first. Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/677 replaced it from 29 April 2023. The current one is Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175, which repealed 2022/677 and has applied since 30 July 2026. It lists more than 30,000 names in alphabetical order. For that update the Commission used, in particular, new INCI names published by the Personal Care Products Council.
Some Commission pages still cite older decisions. The Commission's CosIng page still names Decision (EU) 2019/701. Its 2023 user guide names 2022/677. Both are out of date. CosIng records may not yet show every 2025/1175 name, so if you need the list of label names in force, open the 2025/1175 annex.
The INCI name for shea butter
In the 2025/1175 glossary, shea butter is BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER (Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175). The entry carries no bracketed common name such as "(SHEA)".
Label rules that sit behind the names
Article 19(1)(g) of Regulation 1223/2009 sets the format. The list starts with the word "ingredients" and runs in descending order of weight at the time of addition. Ingredients under 1% can go in any order after those above 1%. Perfume compositions appear as "parfum" or "aroma", colorants other than hair colorants use CI numbers where applicable, and nanomaterials are followed by "(nano)".
A pending change could delete the glossary. Omnibus VI, COM(2025) 531, would delete Article 33 and have names follow "the internationally recognised nomenclature". Coreper confirmed a deal on 26 June 2026, and the committee approved the agreed text on 14 July 2026. As of 30 September 2026 it is still awaiting Parliament's first-reading position, with an indicative plenary date of 19 October 2026 (Legislative Observatory). It isn't law yet.
UK and US differences
In Great Britain, OPSS guidance (updated 29 June 2026) notes geographical differences in INCI for colours, botanicals and so-called "trivial" ingredients. The alternative name may be added in brackets, for example "water (aqua)" or "CI 14700 (Red 4)" (UK OPSS guidance). Retained Article 33 requires the Secretary of State to publish a glossary reference that is "easily accessible and free to use". Check which glossary reference currently applies in GB before relying on EU names there. Northern Ireland applies the EU Cosmetics Regulation under the Windsor Framework, and its OPSS guidance refers to INCI or CosIng names.
In the United States, 21 CFR 701.3 requires common or usual names in descending order of predominance. Names come first from FDA-established names, then from listed compendia, starting with the CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, Second Edition (1977) (FDA cosmetics labeling guide). FDA doesn't accept Latin botanical names, CI numbers, "Aqua" or "Parfum" in place of US common names, but it allows them in brackets: Water (Aqua), Fragrance (Parfum), Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) Oil (FDA cosmetic ingredient names).
RegAffairs AI has a cited answer on using the CosIng database to check INCI names and Annex status. For EU labels, use the 2025/1175 glossary. Where it has no name, Article 19(6) requires a term from a generally accepted nomenclature.