INCI naming looks like a clerical detail until a label is rejected at import or an audit flags an undeclared carrier. For buyers and formulators working with botanicals, naming is where chemistry, sourcing and regulation meet on a single line of the pack. This guide explains how natural and blended ingredients are named — and where the common errors hide.
What INCI actually is
The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients assigns one standardised name to each raw material, independent of trade names or language. A label declares what is in the product using INCI names, in descending order of concentration. The system lets a regulator, retailer or consumer in any market read the same ingredient identity — so the name a supplier prints on a drum is not the name that belongs on a pack.
Naming a single botanical
A plant-derived material is built from the Latin species name plus the part and the process. The pattern is Genus species, plant part, process:
| Material | INCI name |
|---|---|
| Lavender essential oil | Lavandula Angustifolia Oil |
| Sweet almond carrier oil | Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil |
| Calendula flower extract | Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract |
The Latin root is deliberate: "lavender" spans several species with different profiles, while Lavandula Angustifolia Oil names exactly one.
Extracts, macerates and the word that changes
The process word is not decorative. An essential oil (volatile, distilled) ends in Oil; a solvent extract ends in Extract; a botanical macerated in a carrier oil is declared as the carrier oil plus the macerated plant, not as a standalone "oil." Calling a CO2 or solvent extract an "oil," or vice versa, declares a different material than the one in the bottle — a frequent and consequential slip.
Carriers and solvents belong on the list
Many natural ingredients arrive diluted. An extract carried in water and glycerin, or a resinoid cut with a vegetable oil, is a blend, and every component is an ingredient. The INCI list reflects this in descending order, so the carrier often appears first:
- Aqua, Glycerin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Omitting the solvent understates what the consumer is applying and breaks the descending-order rule. The supplier's specification sheet should state the full breakdown so you can transcribe it correctly.
Parfum and the allergen sub-list
A fragrance or essential-oil blend used for scent is declared collectively as Parfum (or Fragrance). However, individual fragrance allergens above the regulatory threshold must be named separately by their own INCI names — Linalool, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol and the rest. This is why a natural product scented with Lavandula Angustifolia Oil may also list Linalool: the constituent is disclosed because a sensitised consumer needs to see it.
Why correct INCI is compliance, not pedantry
The INCI list is the legally controlling statement of what a product contains. A wrong process word, a missing carrier or an unlisted allergen can mean a non-compliant pack, a customs hold or a failed retailer audit — regardless of how good the raw material is. At TeraVella we issue full per-component INCI breakdowns with every blend so the line on your pack is right the first time, and stays defensible under scrutiny.