Cosmetic Ingredient Look-Up

The European cosmetic trade association has just launched a database of cosmetic ingredients for consumers. It’s called COSMILE Europe and is available in 14 languages. Nearly 30,000 ingredients are included, which is essentialy all of the Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.

The database can be used to look up specific ingredients and also contains explanations of various types of substances as well as typical ingredients by product type. Looking up some common names will also show a list of the ingredients that could be referenced by that common name.

While each ingredient listing doesn’t provide all of the information that’s in the Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary, it does provide very useful information, including:

• Name
• Function(s)
• Origin
• Use in Cosmetics
• Substance Groups

How to Use the Database

You can use the database to look up an ingredient to determine its correct name for the ingredient declaration. Keep in mind that in the United States, botanical ingredients are supposed to be listed by their common English name.

The origin will tell you if the cosmetic ingredient is considered synthetic, plant-based, mineral, or a combination of those.

Other information may be helpful in explaining your ingredients to your customers.

Important Note for US Cosmetics

This is a EUROPEAN database.

Color additives are listed by the accepted European name, NOT by the name required by the US Food and Drug Administration. Some color additives are included in the database which are not approved for use in the United States.

Botanical ingredients are listed in the database by the accepted scientific name. In the US, botanical ingredients are supposed to be listed by the common English name.