How to read a skincare ingredient list
Start at the top. Ingredients are normally listed from most to least, at least down to around 1 per cent, and below that the order may not mean much. Names are in a standard system called INCI, so they often look like Latin. A label tells you what's in a product, but not usually the percentages, so you can compare position but not strength.
What the order tells you
Rules differ by country. Australia's cosmetics labelling standard, for example, allows either a single list in descending order, or ingredients at 1 per cent or more in descending order followed by the rest in any order. Many products sold in New Zealand follow the same convention, so as a working rule:
- The first few ingredients make up most of the product.
- An ingredient near the end is likely to be present in small amounts. That's not automatically bad, since some are used at low levels on purpose. Retinol is one.
- The middle and end can't be ranked. Below about 1 per cent, the order may not mean anything.
What INCI means
INCI, the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, is the naming system most labels use. It gives each ingredient one standard name, often in Latin for plants. Helpful once you know it, and a bit baffling until you do.
A worked example: our Hyaluronic Acid jar
Here's the label of Hyaluronic Acid, in order, with what each name means. This table comes straight from the data our shop page uses.
| On the label | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Zea Mays (Corn) Starch | Corn starch: plant starch |
| Niacinamide | Niacinamide: vitamin B3 |
| Sodium Alginate | Sodium alginate (algin): gel from brown seaweed |
| Allantoin | Allantoin: skin conditioner |
| Kojic Acid | Kojic acid: from fermented rice |
| Arbutin | Arbutin: from bearberry leaf |
| Collagen Extract | Collagen extract: skin conditioner |
| Hyaluronic Acid | Hyaluronic acid: humectant |
| Acetate | As printed on the label |
| Rose Petal | Rose: rosa rugosa flower and petals |
| Glutathione | Glutathione: antioxidant |
| Oryzanol (Oryza Sativa Bran Oil) Extract | As printed on the label |
| Tocopherol | Vitamin E: antioxidant |
| Retinol | Retinol: vitamin A |
| Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 | Acetyl hexapeptide-8: peptide |
| Fullerenes | Fullerenes: antioxidant |
| Ascorbyl Glucoside | Vitamin C (ascorbyl glucoside): antioxidant |
| Rosa Rugosa Flower | Rose: rosa rugosa flower and petals |
| Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Powder | Chamomile and lavender: dried flower powders |
| Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Powder | Chamomile and lavender: dried flower powders |
A few things you can read from it. Corn starch and niacinamide are at the top, so they make up a good part of the powder. Retinol, which needs the most care, is near the end. And peptides, which get all the attention on some packaging, are down the list too.
How labels differ
Compare that with Rose. Its label starts with diatomaceous earth, a fine mineral powder, then corn starch and algin, with calcium sulfate to set it: a different build of jelly mask. Sodium hyaluronate, its form of hyaluronic acid, is eighth on the list. That's a real signal about how much there is relative to the rest. Its full list reads: Diatomaceous Earth, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Algin, Calcium Sulfate, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, Maltodextrin, Rosa Rugosa Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Allantoin, CI 17200, Parfum.
Position won't tell you everything, though. Lots of labels list an ingredient without showing how much has been added, which is one more reason to take product names lightly. A product named after one ingredient contains many others.
What a label can't tell you
- Percentages. Labels generally don't show them. Australia's standard, for one, doesn't require them. Ours don't.
- Which form you're getting. Our label says Arbutin, not whether it's alpha or beta. Hyaluronic Acid doesn't come with a molecular weight.
- Whether it works. A good ingredient at a low level, for a short time, is not the same thing as the study it was tested in.
- Whether it suits you. That's what a patch test is for.
Claims on the front vs the list on the back
In New Zealand, a cosmetic is a product used to beautify, cleanse or protect, and Medsafe says therapeutic claims aren't permitted for it. So if the front of a jar says it fixes a medical condition, be wary. Words such as "soft", "feels" and "looks" are more honest descriptions of what a cosmetic does.
Checklist for a new product
- Find the first five ingredients.
- Scan for anything you know you react to.
- Look for retinoids, exfoliating acids and scented plant oils, which call for more care.
- Check how long it keeps once opened, usually shown by a small open jar symbol such as 12M.
- Patch test it before putting it on your face.
Questions
Are ingredients always listed in order of amount?
Usually, at least down to about 1 per cent. Below that, the order may not mean anything. Rules vary by country, so use it as a guide.
What does 12M on a skincare jar mean?
It means use the product within 12 months of opening. It's usually shown on a small open-jar symbol.
Why are plant ingredients written in Latin?
INCI, the naming system used on most labels, uses Latin plant names so that the same ingredient has the same name around the world.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you're worried about your skin, see your GP or a skin specialist.
Sources
- Consumer Goods (Cosmetics) Information Standard 2020, Federal Register of Legislation, Australia
- Categorisation of products, Medsafe