How the Same Cosmetic Can Wear Two Different Ingredient Names

A tube of mascara bought in Manhattan and an identical tube bought in Marseille will not say the same thing on the back. The EU label lists "CI 42090" for the blue dye; the U.S. Label reads "FD&C Blue No. 1." Both describe the same synthetic colorant, certified for use in eye-area cosmetics with restrictions shown in the FDA's color-additive table. The difference is not the formula but the naming system, and shoppers who know how to read across those systems can compare products without assuming a reformulation.

The Two Registries That Govern What You Read

Cosmetic ingredient lists are standardized, but standardized differently by market. In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 requires that ingredient lists be headed by the word INGREDIENTS and arranged in order of weight, from highest concentration to lowest. The names themselves come from the International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), a multilingual glossary maintained to harmonize how substances appear across the 27 member states.

The European Commission's CosIng database, which serves as the EU's official ingredient glossary, takes account of INCI along with other internationally recognized nomenclatures. For colorants specifically, Article 19(1) of the same regulation mandates a further layer: colourants other than hair colourants must be labelled using the Colour Index (CI) nomenclature where applicable. So a red dye becomes "CI 16035," a yellow becomes "CI 19140," and a shopper scanning an EU label learns to look for five-digit numbers prefixed by those two letters.

The U.S. System runs parallel but not identical. The FDA maintains its own registry of certified color additives, the FD&C list because these substances may be used in foods, drugs, and cosmetics. The agency's color-additive table lists seven such dyes approved for foods, among them FD&C Blue No. 1 and FD&C Red No. 40. When these appear on labels, the FDA requires the full certified name or an abbreviated form such as "Blue 1." The ingredients are listed in order of predominance, greatest amount first, matching the EU's weight-based sequencing in practice if not in the precise wording of the regulation.

Matching the Color Codes

The practical divergence is sharpest with synthetic dyes. A foundation that reads "CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499" on a Paris pharmacy shelf will likely list "Iron Oxides" on its U.S. Counterpart, since iron oxides are not certified color additives and fall under INCI naming in both markets. But for the certified synthetics, the systems fork completely.

FD&C Blue No. 1, also known as Brilliant Blue FCF, carries CI 42090 in the European system. FD&C Red No. 40, or Allura Red AC, maps to CI 16035. FD&C Yellow No. 5 becomes CI 19140. The FDA's table lists FD&C Red No. 40 as permanently listed and certified for foods, drugs and cosmetics, including eye-area use with restrictions, meaning a mascara or eyeshadow containing it must observe concentration limits that apply in both markets. The CI number and the FD&C name are not competing ingredients but the same substance filtered through different bureaucratic vocabularies.

This matters for comparison shopping because online marketplaces often mix inventory by source country. A consumer searching for a discontinued lipstick shade may find third-party sellers offering EU-packaged stock alongside U.S. Retail versions. The ingredient lists will look alien to each other. Recognizing that "CI 15850" corresponds to "D&C Red No. 6" or "D&C Red No. 7" depending on the salt form allows a shopper to confirm whether the formula has actually changed or merely the label geography.

Why Order and Wording Can Deceive

Both systems arrange ingredients by weight, yet the apparent order can shift for reasons unrelated to formula. INCI names tend toward Latinate constructions and chemical specificity: "Sodium Laureth Sulfate" rather than "SLES," "Tocopherol" rather than "Vitamin E." A U.S. Label might use a common name approved by the FDA where the EU uses the INCI equivalent, or vice versa depending on the substance. The European Commission's CosIng glossary notes that it incorporates internationally recognized nomenclatures including INCI, but it does not mandate identical wording to other markets.

The result is that two bottles with the same contents can read like different products. A moisturizer with water, glycerin, and dimethicone will list those three first in both jurisdictions, but the fourth ingredient might appear as "Parfum" in the EU and "Fragrance" in the U.S., or as a specific allergen in one and a generic term in the other. The weight order remains comparable; the naming conventions diverge.

The Fragrance Gap Widens

Where the two systems truly separate is in allergen disclosure. The FDA's allergens page notes the European Commission has listed 26 fragrance ingredients as allergens in Annex III of the European Union Cosmetics Directive, but the U.S. Has no equivalent mandatory disclosure rule for cosmetics. A U.S. Label may list "Fragrance" or "Flavor" as a single entry without breaking out constituent compounds. The EU requires that the 26 named allergens be listed individually when present above threshold concentrations.

That threshold is about to drop. From 31 July 2026, cosmetic products placed on the EU market will provide more detailed information about fragrance ingredients considered relevant allergens, with the number of individually labelled allergens expanding from 24 to 81. Cosmetics Europe, the industry association, notes that these potential allergens will be listed by their recognized ingredient names when present above specific amounts. A U.S.-purchased perfume may hide a dozen sensitizing compounds behind the word "Fragrance"; its EU twin will soon name them explicitly on the back panel.

This is not a difference in the bottle's contents. It is a difference in what the regulator compels the manufacturer to confess.

How to Read Across Borders

The method for comparing two bottles is straightforward in principle and fiddly in execution. First, identify the naming system: INCI/CI headers point to EU origin; FD&C color names or common chemical names suggest U.S. Packaging. Second, match the substance, not the word. Cosmetic chemists' reference tables crosswalk CI numbers to FD&C names, and the FDA's color-additive table provides the authoritative U.S. Terminology. Third, compare order of predominance, remembering that both systems rank by weight but may use different names for the same rank. Fourth, treat fragrance and allergen disclosures as system artifacts, not formula changes, unless the specific allergens listed in the EU are absent from an otherwise identical U.S. Ingredient list.

The EU's incoming 81-allergen rule will make this last step more consequential. A shopper with sensitivities who has relied on U.S. Labels will find far more information, and far more complexity, on European packaging. The substance has not changed. The transparency has.

Until a single global nomenclature arrives, the back of the bottle remains a bilingual document. The translation key is public: the FDA's color tables, the European Commission's CosIng database, the INCI glossary itself. The product you liked in London is likely the same in Los Angeles. Only the poetry of its description has shifted.

What Skin costs 40 priced entries · prices as recorded

• $0–$1017
• $10–$2518
• $25–$505
• $50–$1000
• $100 and up0

Least expensiveFull Body Sponge$4.99

Most expensiveFace Glow Collection$35

Median here is $12.99 against $24.99 across the whole catalogue.