Using the CosIng Database to Vet an Ingredient

CosIng is the European Commission's free, public database of cosmetic ingredients and their regulatory status, and if you formulate anything sold into the EU, it's worth bookmarking before you buy a single raw material rather than after. It won't file anything for you, but it tells you, in about thirty seconds, whether the ingredient you're eyeing is banned, capped, or fine to use as you please.

What CosIng actually contains

Each entry ties an ingredient name to its INCI name, its CAS number where one exists, a description of its cosmetic function (emulsifier, preservative, UV filter, and so on), and, critically, a reference to which annex of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 governs it, if any. Annex II lists substances prohibited outright. Annex III lists restricted substances with specific limits and conditions. Annexes IV through VI cover colorants, preservatives, and UV filters that are permitted only under the listed conditions.

If an ingredient has no annex reference at all, that generally means it isn't subject to a specific restriction, though it still needs to clear the general safety requirement that applies to every cosmetic ingredient regardless of annex status.

A practical search workflow

1. Search by INCI name first. CosIng is built around INCI naming, so search "Retinol" rather than "Vitamin A," or "Aqua" rather than "Water." If you only have a trade name from a supplier, you'll need to get the INCI name from the supplier's documentation before CosIng will return anything useful.
2. Check the CAS number matches. Some ingredients share similar names but have different CAS numbers and different regulatory treatment. Confirming the CAS number on the entry matches your supplier's SDS is a fast way to catch a mismatch before it becomes a filing error.
3. Read the function field. This tells you what the ingredient is doing in your formula. It matters because some restrictions are function-specific. A substance permitted as a preservative at one limit might not be permitted at all for a different function.
4. Look for an annex reference. No reference usually means no specific restriction. A reference to Annex II means don't use it. A reference to Annex III, IV, V, or VI means read the conditions column carefully, because that's where limits, product-type restrictions, and required warning statements live.
5. Note the update date. CosIng entries get revised as EU rules change, so an ingredient you checked a year ago is worth a second look before you reformulate or restock.

What CosIng won't do

It won't tell you the concentration in your specific formula is safe. It gives you the regulatory ceiling, not a green light for your recipe. It also doesn't replace the Cosmetic Product Safety Report a qualified safety assessor has to sign off on before you notify through CPNP, and it doesn't check for interactions between ingredients in your particular blend. Treat it as a screening step, not a substitute for the safety assessment.

A worked example

Say you're formulating a leave-on cream with a botanical extract you've never used before. You'd search the INCI name, confirm the CAS number against your supplier's documentation, read the listed function to make sure it matches your use case, and check whether an annex applies. If it comes back with no annex reference and a function that matches your intended use, that's a reasonable early signal to proceed to formulation and safety assessment. If it comes back restricted, you now know the concentration ceiling before you've wasted a batch.

Where this fits with a filing

CosIng is an EU tool, tied to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, so it's the right first stop before you notify via CPNP, appoint your Responsible Person, and assemble your Product Information File. It has no direct equivalent to Health Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist, which serves a similar screening purpose for the Canadian market, so if you sell into both regions, expect to check two separate lists rather than assuming one clears the other.

This kind of ingredient-by-ingredient screening is exactly what slows makers down when they're doing it by hand across dozens of SKUs. Cosmetic Comply automates the INCI and CAS matching and runs each ingredient against the relevant restricted list with a confidence score, then has a real reviewer confirm before anything gets filed, which is a faster path than manually cross-referencing CosIng for every ingredient in every product.