How To Read Ingredient Lables
What does INCI stand for? What is the INCI name of an ingredient?
INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. It is a huge list of standardised names for cosmetic ingredients published by the Personal Care Products Council. For example, the INCI name of argan oil is argania spinosa kernel oil, or the INCI name of table salt (yes, it is a common ingredient in cosmetic products) is sodium chloride.
How should an ingredient list look like (at least in the EU & US)?
Regulations are different from region to region and there are many details and nuances to them, but the two very basic rules in the EU, US and most other parts for the world are these:
- The ingredient list uses INCI nomenclature on its ingredient list
- Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight up to the 1% mark
- We will say this: we are shocked to see the amount of incorrect ingredient lists uploaded to our site. Sometimes it is just a small, honest mistake that can happen to everyone. We are not talking about that. We are talking about ingredient lists that show a total lack of understanding or disregard of how a correct ingredient list looks like.
- We are working on a warning system for our site so that it becomes easier to spot shady ingredient lists.