Decode Your Ingredients List Like a Pro! What it Does & Doesn't Tell You
by WISHCOMPANY INC on Jun 08, 2021

1. What is the INCI list

INCI list stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. It is a standardized system to list ingredients for cosmetic product labels. It usually contains a mixture of conventional scientific names, Latin, and also English words. This INCI nomenclature is something that is continuously updated to catch up with the industry trend and development.
2. Some common names and their INCI names are :
Ingredients are listed from highest to lowest concentrationThe ingredients should be listed from the highest to lowest order concentration, with several exceptions. Water usually fills the top ingredients on most products, but it doesn’t mean that it is a “filler” ingredient. Some exceptions to these general rules are: Once ingredients included are at a concentration of less than 1%, they can be listed in no specific order. One of the most common benchmarks for this is phenoxyethanol since it is regulated to be less than 1% in a cosmetic product, anything that comes after phenoxyethanol is guaranteed to be less than 1% in no particular order.3. Common misconception with the INCI list :
1) Myth :
Only the top five ingredients listed are effective2) Fact :
Some ingredients don’t have to be listed on the top list to give a positive impact on your skin. Here is a list of ingredients that can work even at a low percentage. Yes, you won’t see it at the top five ingredients list most of the time, but it will still do its job and benefit your skin. - Resveratrol – 0.4%- Astaxanthin – 0.035%- Allantoin – 0.1% - 0.5% - Retinol – 0.04% - 1%- Niacinamide – 2% - 5%- Peptides (various depending on the type) – 0.1% - 10%4. What INCI list does tell you
INCI list can be that first screening step before you purchase your skincare product in order to:- Look for ingredients that your skin love in a product
- Avoid you from getting a product that contains an ingredient you are allergic to
- Avoid buying a product with a particular ingredient with a specific texture that you don’t like (silicone, petrolatum)
5. What the INCI list doesn’t tell you :
Don’t judge a book by its cover, it applies as well to the INCI list, and here are some of the things that the INCI list doesn’t tell you1) The percentage of the ingredients
If it’s on the 2nd ingredient on one product and on the 3rd on the other, it doesn’t mean that the first product has a higher ingredient percentage. Two products may have the same ingredient percentage even though they don’t share the exact same order of ingredients on the label.2) The source and quality of the ingredients
The ingredients can come from different suppliers and quality Just like how there are different grades of matcha from the premium ceremonial one to the common culinary grade. They have different nutrient components, went through different steps of processing, and different price points. Despite all those differences, it is still listed as Camellia Sinensis leaf powder on the INCI list.3) The formula, efficacy, and feel of the product
The ingredients list doesn’t really tell much about how ingredients were processed. It is almost like reading a recipe without any instruction on how to cook it. Even if we have the exact same ingredients, the skill and experience of the cook can make all the difference.
Tags: