Government explores standardising cosmetics ingredients lists for products retailing in India

The Government of India is looking into introducing compulsory inclusion of the international nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients on makeup product labels in the country to increase consumer trust and increase transparency.

“The uniform labelling system of using INCI names will provide transparency to consumers by using a single labelling name,” said a senior official, ET Bureau reported. This would apply to both domestically manufactured products and international imports to create a unified labelling system.
 
The aim is to make it easier for consumers to identify the ingredients in their cosmetics products to feel confident in their choice whether or not to purchase them. This is especially pertinent given the context of increasing imports of foreign makeup and beauty products as India’s cosmetics industry continues to grow swiftly.
 
The international nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients is a globally used and recognised system used to identify cosmetic ingredients. The International Nomenclature Committee develops the names for each ingredient to be used across the globe. The Personal Care Product Council publishes these names in the International Cosmetic Ingredient dictionary and handbook which beauty brands can reference when they create their product labels.
 
Standardising ingredients will also increase safety within the industry, the Economic Times reported. The proposal will soon be deliberated by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s drugs consultative committee.