How will my patients 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 that 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. Should an individual have a reaction to a cosmetic product, they will need to work with their health care professional to determine which ingredient is problematic. 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.
