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EU cosmetic ingredients, restrictions and safety
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Ingredient function 44 ingredients

DEPILATORY

Breaking down the mechanical strength of hair fibers so that they can be removed by mild scraping/rubbing.

Definition provenance: European Commission CosIng ingredient-function terminology.

44 ingredients in the EU CosIng inventory carry the DEPILATORY function designation.

Review DEPILATORY ingredientsAll functions

Ingredients with the DEPILATORY function

COLOPHONIUM

33012

Rosin is the residue left after distilling off the volatile oil from the oleoresin obtained from Pinus palustris and other species of Pinac…

CAS 8050-09-7

COPERNICIA CERIFERA WAX

91028

Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax is a wax obtained from the leaves and leaf buds of Copernicia cerifera, Palmaceae.

CAS 8015-86-9

MEL POWDER

85208

Mel Powder is the powder obtained from dehydrated, ground honey

CAS 91052-92-5 / 8026-66-8

POLYTERPENE

86730

Polyterpene is a copolymer of α-pinene, β-pinene, β-phelladrene and dipentene

CAS 68240-09-5

PROPANEDIOL ROSINATES

87093

Propanediol Rosinates is a mixture of mono- and diesters of Propanediol and the acids derived from Rosin

ROSIN GLYCERIDES

cosing-live-101105

Rosin Glycerides is the mixture of mono-, di-, and triglycerides resulting from the reaction of glycerin with tall oil rosin acids.

These widely assigned CosIng terms provide populated comparison pages; they are not presented as semantic equivalents of the current function.

SKIN CONDITIONING · 13138SURFACTANT · 4574HAIR CONDITIONING · 3619SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT · 3586SURFACTANT - CLEANSING · 3218SURFACTANT - EMULSIFYING · 2924ANTIOXIDANT · 2907SKIN PROTECTING · 2784

How the DEPILATORY function is used in CosIng

The DEPILATORY function is assigned by the European Commission in the CosIng ingredient inventory. This page currently lists 44 ingredients carrying that function label in the dataset, which helps you move from a functional claim to the exact ingredients that use it.

Breaking down the mechanical strength of hair fibers so that they can be removed by mild scraping/rubbing.

Function assignments come from official EU CosIng data. They describe intended cosmetic use, but they do not replace regulatory review of each linked ingredient and any annex records tied to it.

Frequently asked questions

The DEPILATORY function, as defined in the EU CosIng database, describes the role this group of ingredients plays in a cosmetic formulation. There are currently 44 ingredients in the EU CosIng inventory assigned this function. Function labels are standardised terms used in Product Information Files (PIF) and ingredient declarations.

Yes. An ingredient's function in the CosIng inventory is independent of its regulatory status. An ingredient with the DEPILATORY function may also be listed in Annex II (prohibited), Annex III (restricted), or other annexes. Always check each ingredient's annex records for applicable conditions before formulating.

Ingredient functions are documented in the Product Information File (PIF) as part of the cosmetic product safety assessment. They describe the intended role of each ingredient in the formulation and support the safety assessor's review. Functions do not appear on consumer-facing product labels, which list only INCI names.

Use the INCI Checker to paste your full ingredient list and screen it against all Annex II–VI restrictions, CMR classifications and allergen flags from the EU CosIng database.
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Tools & next steps

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Scan a full INCI list, then review which matched ingredients are tagged with the DEPILATORY function.

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See the full list of cosmetic ingredient function categories in the EU CosIng inventory.

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Review linked regulatory evidence

17 ingredients in this function have structured links to EU annex records.

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