Cosmile Europe, a consumer-oriented cosmetic ingredients database

For years, there has been a perception within the cosmetics sector that The information provided to consumers regarding cosmetic products and ingredients needs to be improved.  At present, many consumers of cosmetics find it difficult to choose between different cosmetic products that promise similar benefits, to understand the function of a particular cosmetic ingredient within a product, or to identify the properties of the ingredients it contains. 

From the European Commission Steps are being taken to improve the information available to the public about the products they can find on the market. At a global level, each of the various market sectors is being regulated, and legislation (European directives and regulations) is being drawn up to standardise products – and ingredients – across the various EU member states.

At the level of the cosmetics sector, the European Commission has equipped itself with an essential tool for managing all information on cosmetic products and ingredients: the Cosing cosmetic ingredients database (which we’ve already told you about in another post on our blog), which is regarded as an official source of information and is currently used as a reference by both the health authorities and ourselves, the technicians and professionals in the cosmetics industry.

The information published in the database Cosing However, it presents a access issues for the general public: and the data it provides is highly technical, aimed at a professional audience that does not require much explanation about the field in which it operates. And by raising the language and presentation of the published data to such a technical level, it effectively becomes incomprehensible to the majority of consumers.

An initiative by the cosmetics industry to serve the public: Cosmile Europe adapts its language for the general public

The creation of the cosmetic ingredients database Cosmile Europe part of the European cosmetics industry’s commitment to «providing transparent information on the cosmetic products that consumers use every day, helping them to make informed purchasing decisions». In a sense, this is an initiative aimed at combating the increasingly widespread misinformation surrounding the cosmetics sector, particularly on digital platforms.

The database project Cosmile Europe on behalf of the professional association Cosmetics Europe (the European Cosmetic and Personal Care Industry Association), together with the German Association for Cosmetics, Toiletries, Perfumery and Detergents (IKW) and the French Federation of Beauty Companies (FEBEA), supported by technological developments in health&media GmbH.

Furthermore, for the roll-out of the app and the web portal in Spanish, they have been working in Spain in collaboration with the professional association Stanpa and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).