The INCI system — International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients — is the standardised naming convention used on cosmetic ingredient labels worldwide. If you’ve ever wondered why your skincare label reads ‘Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil’ instead of ‘meadowfoam oil’, or ‘Butyrospermum Parkii Butter’ instead of ‘shea butter’, INCI is the reason.
The system was developed in the 1970s by the Personal Care Products Council (then the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association) in the United States and has since been adopted by regulatory bodies worldwide. Its purpose is standardisation: a consumer or dermatologist in Australia can read a label and identify the same ingredient as one in Japan or France, regardless of what it’s called in marketing or common use.
For plant-derived ingredients, INCI names typically use the Latin botanical name of the plant followed by the part of the plant used and how it was processed. Limnanthes Alba is the Latin name of the meadowfoam plant; Seed Oil indicates it was extracted from the seeds. Rosa Canina Fruit Oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the Rosa Canina plant — rosehip. Hippophae Rhamnoides is sea buckthorn.
For synthetic or isolated compounds, the names are typically based on the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) naming system or established common chemical names. Niacinamide is simply niacinamide — the name is clear enough that no translation is needed. Bisabolol is alpha-bisabolol, the specific isomer used in cosmetic formulation.
At Oath Co, we list the full INCI for every product on the product page. We don’t hide behind trade names or use marketing language where INCI names are appropriate. If you want to know exactly what is in your formula, the information is there.
We’ve also built our Skincare Glossary to translate the most important INCI names into plain language, so you don’t need a chemistry background to understand what you’re using.