How will I understand the INCI ingredient disclosure system?
Most of the names for cosmetic product ingredients are technical chemical names that might not be readily understood by the Canadian public. However, the INCI system was designed with the notion that INCI names act as universally-recognized symbols that represent a substance which may otherwise appear under many different trade names. By only allowing INCI names, the Canadian public needs to know only one “symbol” for an ingredient instead of having to remember a number of different technical or trade names. To find out more information about a specific ingredient, contact the business whose address can be found on the label. A list of the priority allergens (peanut, tree nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, crustaceans/shellfish, sesame and sulphites) with their associated INCI names is available on Health Canada’s website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cosmetics.
