About This Site

About This Site

This Web site contains information about the safety, testing and regulation of cosmetics and personal care products and the ingredients they contain. Safety information is contained in a database of more than 2,000 ingredients, with new ingredient safety information frequently being added. This ingredient safety information is for the most commonly used ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, and has been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel, an independent body of scientific experts who assess the safety of cosmetic ingredients.

While more than 4,000 ingredients are used in cosmetics and personal care products today, the ingredients found in this site represent approximately 90% of the ingredients used in products on the market today. Our aim is to eventually include safety information on all ingredients in use.

Cosmetic and personal care product safety

How products are regulated and assessed for safety is a complex, scientific process. In this section you can learn about:


  • How companies determine a product is safe
  • How the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates cosmetics and personal care products
  • The Industry Consumer Commitment Code
  • The components of product labels
  • The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
  • How cosmetics and personal care products are regulated in other countries
  • The history of cosmetics

Product category safety information

Information about product type can be found in this section, along with a list of commonly found ingredients in each category that link to revelant safety information.

Ingredient safety information

By typing in an ingredient name, you can get specific information on what the ingredient is, how it is used in cosmetics and personal care products, and specific safety testing information along with references to independent scientific and regulatory studies on the safety of these ingredients.

Questions about product safety

If you have a specific question about product safety, you might find the question and answer in our section called "Frequently Asked Questions." New questions are often being added and updated to the Web site.