Reading an ingredient list without a chemistry degree

The aliases

Ingredients are listed by their INCI name, a standardised mix of Latin and chemistry, which is why familiar things look foreign. A dozen pairs cover most of what you will meet.

The order is the dose

Under the EU cosmetics regulation, everything above 1% is listed in descending order of concentration. Aqua first means water-based; an oil first means a balm. When the actives sit inside the first five or six names, they are above the 1% line and in working amounts.

One word hides many

Parfum, or Fragrance, is a mixture, often of dozens of compounds, that does not have to be itemised. In patch tests of 3,119 adults from the general population of five European countries, fragrance allergens were among the most frequent positive reactions, with each of the two standard fragrance mixes sensitising close to 2% of adults. Sensitisation is permanent. A list without Parfum removes that risk in one move.

Preservatives are not the enemy

Any product containing water needs a preservative, or it grows microbes long before the bottle is finished. Phenoxyethanol, near the end of most lists, is among the most studied; the EU's scientific committee concluded it is safe for all consumers at the permitted maximum of 1%. A short, well-known preservative system signals a careful formula.