Reading Skincare Ingredients Labels: A Beginner’s Guide!

Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, L-Ascorbic Acid — Sounds like a foreign language to you? Trust me, it did for me until I started to pay attention to the ingredients lists on my skincare products and did my research. Do something for me, go in your bathroom, look at the ingredient labels on any of your skincare essentials. You’ll quickly realize that these are the INCI names for some pretty much common ingredients used in many skincare and cosmetics formulations. INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. INCI names are used in the United States, Canada, the European Union and many other countries in order to list ingredients on cosmetic product labels and maintain a certain uniformity.

There’s a lot of greenwashing going on in the beauty and cosmetics world on the marketing level. So I think it is even more important to take your time and always read the ingredients labels on the products you choose to use.

NOW, while I’m a true believer that natural ingredients are good for our health and skin, I am also convinced that some man-made ones are excellent for our skin and very safe to use on a daily basis. Niacinamide for example is definitely not a “natural” ingredient but it has been clinically proven that it does wonder for the skin. To be able to attain a certain shelf life, preservatives ( from natural origin or synthetic ) are needed. Some are very safe, others a lot less. You then need to do your research to know which ones you’re comfortable using and which ones are a firm NO-NO.

For example, almost all the skincare products at Sephora have preservatives, even those on their CLEAN list. So yes, preservatives in skincare are VERY common.

Whether you’re a skincare enthusiast like me or you’re someone who is just getting started, keep reading for my very easy guide to understanding product labels and some questions to ask yourself when shopping for skincare.

CONCENTRATION LEVELS

Let’s start with how to read the labels. Every skincare or makeup product SHOULD have a full list of its ingredients mentioned either on the bottle or the box it came. I love transparency when looking at my products’ ingredient list and not having to actively look for it. Generally, the ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. This simply means that the higher up an ingredient on the list, the more there is of that ingredient in the formulation.

Now that you know what are the ingredients in your product, the next thing to do would be to learn what each ingredient does for your skin right? Some are pretty straight forward such as water, glycerin, retinol but what the heck is Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate ? A simple google search will give you answers but my favorite sources are Paula’s Choice Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and EWG Skin Deep Database.

PRESERVATIVES

Now let’s talk preservatives. They are pretty much required in order to extend skincare products’ shelf life. If your favourite skincare product is still effective after 3, 6 months etc.. that’s due to the preservatives used in it.

So yes, you need to get a little bit more familiar with them and determine which ones you are at ease of seeing in your products’ ingredients lists; and which ones are on your absolutely no-no list.

Parabens are one of the most known low-cost synthetic preservatives and get a bad rap. Even if the scientific research seem to not be unanimous, some studies relate the use of parabens to the apparition and/or increase of cancerous cells in the body. Look for INCI names such as Methyl-xxx, Isobutyl-xxx, Propyl-xxx, or Benzyl-parabens on your ingredients list if you want to avoid parabens. But then again, do your own research as always.

Of course, in the past years, cosmetics brands have been looking into incorporating safer parabens alternatives such as Phenoxyethanol that we see in so many skincare products nowadays. What is it? It’s a glycol ether that has a global approval for use in all cosmetic products in concentrations up to 1%.

There are also some considered as “natural alternative preservatives”: Sodium Benzoate or Potassium Sorbate for example are often used together in very low concentrations to help fight mold, bacteria and yeast in cosmetics. They consequently come at a higher price tag for brands.

I hope that the above will give you some basics and urge to always pay attention to the ingredients list on your products. In the end, it’s all about being knowledgeable and making informed decisions.

Talk soon xx