Beauty products are required to have a list of ingredients printed somewhere on the packaging. Finding this list is not always easy. While it is usually printed on the box or the packaging, it can also be found underneath the product label or barcode. If this is the case, you will see a small arrow, just follow it. If a product comes with a leaflet, this can include the list of ingredients as well.
But the ingredients can have long and difficult names and not everyone knows what any of them are and do. So, how do you read it? And why should you learn to do it?
Why is it important to read an ingredient list?
Being able to read these lists is very important for several reasons. By knowing which ingredients are used in a product you can make sure to avoid those that could cause you allergies or irritations. You can also decide for yourself which ingredients you prefer to use on your skin.
In addition, you’ll be able to know if a product does what it claims and if you can find a cheaper alternative. Very often, in fact, the active ingredients of drugstore and high-end products are the same.
Also, lots of products claim to contain Vitamins and other natural ingredients that are beneficial for the skin. And are more expensive because of it. But if you look at the ingredient list, more often than not, you realise that these ingredients are present in such low concentrations that don’t provide any benefits at all.
Names of ingredients
According to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) system, ingredients must be named using their scientific and, for plants, Latin names. But to make things easier, the English names are often put in parenthesis. For instance Shea Butter is often listed as Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter).
Order of ingredients
The Federal Trade Commission orders that the ingredients have to be listed in order of concentration. Ingredients that are present in higher amounts in the formula go on the top of the list. The active ingredients can also be listed in a separate list.
Exceptions
Like every rule, this one has its exceptions too. Ingredients that are present at a concentration below 1% can be listed in any order. Color additives, no matter what their concentrations are, can be listed in any order, after all the other non color additive ingredients. But usually, they’re listed last, just like fragrances and preservatives. In addition, some cosmetics are also drugs. In this case, the drugs ingredients are listed before the cosmetic ingredients.
Low concentrations
But how do you know when the concentrations start to be low? Usually, the first ingredients in the lists are synthetic and when you start seeing natural ingredients it means the concentrations are under 1%. That’s because natural ingredients are generally more expensive and less effective than synthetic ones and hence, companies only put small amounts of them in a product. However, that’s not always true as sometimes natural ingredients can be present in high amounts in a product, in which case it’ll be listed towards the top. In addition, not all ingredients present in small concentrations are totally ineffective. Some of them still provide some benefits but as a general rule, the more there is the better it works.
What does “and other ingredients” mean?
Some labels also use the phrase “and other ingredients”. What does that mean? Simply put, certain ingredients are considered as “trade secrets” and because of that, the FDA doesn’t require the name to be revealed on the list.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow, thanks for the explanation! I’ve been trying to read some of the ingredients; especially with skincare and it’s a little hard, but very important!
Thanks for the info Gio! This is most useful and reading ingredient lists tend to be a bit like reading my old chemistry books from school but as Renee said, very important!
.-= Paris B´s last blog ..Updates: Dior Flat Top brush available and YSL not pulling out =-.
this is an excellent post!
sigh im just too lazy to check whether those ingredients are pore clogging or not.
i dont usually develop any allergies to products as my skin is not really sensitive.
the oddess thing is that i break out from mineral concealers?
hmm, wonder what went wrong
.-= LyNn´s last blog ..Konad Stamping Nail Art 4 (M56-5) =-.
Excellent post, Gio! I always read the list of ingredients and that helps a lot. Usually, the first 5 ingredients are really important as they have the highest concentration.
.-= Dao´s last blog ..MAC 168 Brush: Fabulous for Contouring =-.
Awesome post Gio dear! I’m starting to really pay attention to what the ingredients are and what I put on my face. It makes such a difference. I try to stress it to my cousins and friends, but they say they don’t care as long as it looks good. Sad isn’t it? Haha.
.-= Dee´s last blog ..NEW – NYX Runway Collection, Caribbean & For Your Eyes Only! =-.
Quite an informative post. I am currently in the process of writing an ebook explaining and cataloging some of the more unsavory toxic ingredients in personal care products. We have to be careful when buying our beauty products these days…..Do you read labels?
.-= Robin of toxicbeautyblog.com´s last blog ..A Trip to the Nail Shop…A Rather Toxic Experience =-.
I am very happy with your post, very informative!
.-= Nikki´s last blog ..Nail Art Tutorial: "Metallic" Nails =-.
This is a great post! It’s very helpful and extremely important what ingredients are in the products we use. Thanks!
.-= Ahleessa´s last blog ..No Buy Deal =-.
Renee: you’re welcome. Ingredients usually have such complicated names it can be hard to read a label. There are lots of resources on the net, like cosmeticscop.com, that have some great ingredients dictionaries. They’re very helpful
Paris B: you’re welcome. I feel the same way too
But I agree with your girls, it’s very important to know what we put on our skin.
LyNn: thanks. I’m not sure why mineral concealers break you out since I don’t know which products you used and the ingredients they contain, but I heard that Zinc Oxid and Titanium Dioxide, which are widely used in mineral makeup can clog pores in people with oily skin, esp when used in high concentrations. So, maybe that’s what’s causing the problem. I worte a post about comedogenic ingredients if you’re interested but keep in mind that it’s not a comprehensive list: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2009/06/10/what-ingredients-are-comedogenic/
Dao: thanks and good for you! I’m glad you do that, it’s so important and helpful. Yeah, you’e right, the first few ingredients are the most imporant ones, the other are usually preservatives, thickeners or just included for marketing purposes.
Dee: thanks, and I’m really glad to hear that! Well done. My friends are the same and yeah, it is sad. Unfortunately they’ll regret it later when they realise how much they spent on products that don’t really work
Robin: thanks. Yes, I do, everytime I buy some skincare or cosmetic products I usually spend ages at the counter looking at the ingredients lists and trying to select the best products for my skin. That’s really important. Your ebook sounds interesting, can’t wait to read it.
Nikki: thank you, I’m glad you are and hope you find it helpful
Ahleessa: you’re welcome and thanks. I agree with you 100%.
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