The origin of INCI

In the 1940s, the American cosmetics industry raised the issue of distinguishing and describing cosmetic ingredients. The American Toilet Products Association (later CTFA, now the Personal Care Products Council) established a standards council and began to establish names and specifications for cosmetic ingredients.

In the 1960s, consumers and governments put forward ingredient identification requirements for personal care products, and CTFA established a unified naming system for cosmetic ingredients.

In 1973, the CTFA Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary was published.

In 1993, the CTFA name evolved into the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), and a dictionary and manual were published.

In 1993, the European Parliament endorsed and cited the above-mentioned dictionary and manual.

In 1996, the European Parliament published Commission Decision 96/335/EEC (name of supplementary colorants, botanical preparations, etc.). Subsequently, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, etc. all recognized INCI, and Japan, South Korea, and China also translated INCI into their own national languages. The rest of the world quotes INCI directly. It should be noted that the INCI name is not legal. The INCI name of a raw material does not mean that the raw material has been approved for use in cosmetics, nor does it represent the safety of the raw material.

INCI in China

National Cosmetic Labeling Management Regulations (Order No. 100 of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (2008.9.1)): Article 12, cosmetics labeling should indicate the full ingredient list. Labeling methods and requirements should comply with corresponding standards.

"General Labeling for Cosmetics Instructions for Consumer Products" GB5296.3---2008 Published on 2008-06-17 and implemented on 2009-10-01. Full ingredient labeling will be implemented from 2010-06-17.

According to the above regulations and standards, skin care products, color cosmetics, hair care products, hair styling products, hair dyeing and perming products, fragrance products, bath products, hand sanitizers and other products that fall within the definition of cosmetics sold in mainland China are required to Clearly indicate the standard Chinese names of all ingredients added to the product on product packaging. The implementation of full ingredient labeling of cosmetics is an important measure to protect consumers’ right to know and facilitate the supervision of relevant supervisory agencies. It is also an international practice commonly practiced in the world.