How to read a skin care ingredients list without a chemistry degree
The order tells you most of it, the 1 per cent line tells you the rest, and the last five names tell you who the formula was built for.
A cosmetic ingredients list is written in INCI - the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients - which is why aloe appears as Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and water appears as Aqua. It looks forbidding and is actually one of the more honest documents in retail, because the order is not optional.
Rule one: descending order, until it is not
Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration - but only down to 1 per cent. Below that, they may be listed in any order the manufacturer likes.
That single rule explains most of what people find confusing. The hero botanical listed second is present in quantity; the same botanical listed twenty-fourth, after the preservative, is a label decoration.
Finding the 1 per cent line: look for the preservatives (phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate, ethylhexylglycerin), the chelator (disodium EDTA), the thickener (xanthan gum) or the pH adjuster (sodium hydroxide, citric acid). Everything after the first of those is almost certainly under 1 per cent.
What the first five names are doing
| Common opener | Role | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Aqua / Water | Solvent | Nearly every water-based product starts here |
| Glycerin, butylene glycol, propanediol | Humectants | Hydration and texture |
| Cetearyl alcohol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, squalane | Emollients | A cream rather than a gel |
| Dimethicone and other silicones | Slip and occlusion | Smooth finish; not pore-clogging for most people |
| Alcohol denat. high in the list | Solvent, quick-dry feel | Pleasant in humidity, drying over months for some skin |
| Niacinamide, ascorbic acid, salicylic acid | Actives | Named high up means a real concentration |
Fragrance, and why it is the usual suspect
Parfum or Fragrance is a single declared name that can cover a large blend. Certain fragrance allergens - linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, eugenol and others - are often named separately at the end of a list, particularly on products built for international markets.
Fragrance is not harmful for most people, and it is the most common cause of cosmetic contact allergy. If your skin reacts unpredictably across brands, a fragrance-free run of six weeks is the cheapest diagnostic you can perform on yourself.
Essential oils are fragrance too. Lavender, citrus and tea tree oils are among the more sensitising ingredients in natural formulations, and unscented is not the same claim as fragrance-free - unscented can mean a masking fragrance was added.
Four checks that answer most questions
- Where is the advertised hero ingredient? Above the preservatives means present; below means present in spirit.
- Does the concentration match a claim? A 10 per cent niacinamide serum should list it in the first few names.
- How many actives are in one bottle? More than two makes it impossible to attribute either a benefit or a reaction.
- What is the base? A gel base and a cream base with the same active are different products for different skin and different weather.
Words on the carton that are not on the list
Free-from claims are the other half of the label. Paraben-free, sulphate-free, silicone-free and chemical-free all describe absence rather than performance, and the last one is not a statement about chemistry at all - everything is a chemical, water included.
Labelling in India falls under the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, which require the ingredients list, manufacturer or importer details, batch number, manufacturing date and net quantity. A carton missing those is a reason to walk away, whatever the front promises.
Once you can find the 1 per cent line, most marketing stops working on you - which is exactly the intention.
Every score on Filtizy is shown working
The factors, weights and thresholds behind a product's number are published in full - including the ones we consider weak.
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