Introduction:

the use of specific rules to correctly identify ingredients used in cosmetics was essential for their control. This paper analyses the complex process to adapt the INCI terminology between the 1960s and the 1990s.

Method:

analysis of the legislation published in Spain on the control of cosmetic products between the 1940s and the 1990s, focusing on cosmetic`s registers and terminologies and nomenclatures used to identify their ingredients. Printed Primary sources, and periodical press have also been consulted. Primary sources have been discussed and contextualized with the help of more recent history of science publications.

Results and Conclusions:

The adoption of precise cosmetic nomenclature or terminology was required by health authorities registering these products, as well as for the labelling to inform consumer. The sanitary regulation of cosmetic products was very lax until the development of this industry and its market in Spain in the 1960s. The consolidation of the dermopharmaceutical sector occurred in the 1970s, in part due to the efforts of various pharmaceutical sectors. The gradual introduction of international cosmetic nomenclatures culminated in the 1990s with the official introduction of the INCI terminology in Spain.

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