How to read a skincare ingredient label

Short answer: ingredients are listed in descending order by weight down to 1%, using standardized INCI names. Anything after that 1% mark can be listed in any order, fragrance blends can appear as one word, and drug actives are declared separately in a Drug Facts box. Learn those five rules and most labels become readable.

Rule 1: Order tells you proportion

The first three ingredients usually are the product. If water, glycerin, and an emulsifier lead the list, the botanical extract at the bottom is a rounding error. In our whipped lotion, tallow is first because it is most of what's in the jar.

Rule 2: Below 1%, order stops meaning anything

Once ingredients drop under one percent, they can be listed in any sequence. That's how a "star ingredient" can appear mid-list and still be a trace amount.

Rule 3: INCI names look scarier than they are

Labels use standardized names, so water is "aqua," shea butter is "Butyrospermum parkii," and vitamin E is "tocopherol." A long chemical name isn't evidence of anything by itself — plenty of plain ingredients have intimidating INCI names.

Rule 4: "Fragrance" is one word for many ingredients

A fragrance blend can legally be declared as a single term. If you react to something inside it, the label won't help you identify what. It's one reason we don't use synthetic fragrance at all.

Rule 5: A Drug Facts box changes the category

If a product has an "Active ingredient" panel, it's regulated as an over-the-counter drug, not a cosmetic. Sunscreens and aluminum-based antiperspirants are the everyday examples. A deodorant, including ours, is a cosmetic and won't have one.

Putting it to work

Try it on something in your bathroom right now. Read the first three ingredients, find the odor or active ingredient, check for a fragrance line, and see whether there's a Drug Facts panel. In about fifteen seconds you'll know more about the product than the front of the package told you.

Keep reading

See what to look for in a simple-ingredient product, read deodorant vs. antiperspirant, or browse our ingredients.