CAS, ELINCS or EINECS numbers can be searched for in CosIng.
The database includes all data since the adoption of the Cosmetics Directive in 1976. Current data is listed as “active”, while historical data is listed as “not active”.
References to scientific opinions of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety are restricted to those published on the internet.
You can find more information about INCI-names in the Personal Care Products Council website.
Please note that ingredient assigned with an INCI name that appears in the inventory section of CosIng does not mean it is to be used in cosmetic products nor approved for such use.
CosIng may also list ingredients known to be used in medicinal products.
If, due to such ingredients, a product restores, corrects, or modifies physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, the product shall be qualified as a medicinal product. However, products that, while having an effect on the human body, do not significantly affect the metabolism and thus do not strictly modify the way in which it functions, may be qualified as cosmetic products.
The qualification of a product is to be decided by the national competent authorities, under the supervision of the courts, on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all the characteristics of the product.
In addition, the use of any ingredient in cosmetic products must be supported by a safety assessment of the product.