Reading the labels of cosmetic ingredients can be a daunting task so we’ll teach you how to read a List Of Ingredients and to help you identify what ingredients are actually effective in a product. And, which ingredients are “Label” ingredients and really don’t contribute much, if at all, to improving your skin, but are included to create a marketing story.

FDA Labeling Rules

The FDA rules regarding the labelling of the ingredients in cosmetic products require that the ingredients must be listed in descending order of incidence from the ingredient included in the highest percentage to the ingredient included in the lowest percentage. This can be valuable to consumers to understand the composition of the cosmetic ingredients that they purchase.

The Hitch – The 1% Rule

But, there is also an exception and that is the 1% Rule. The 1% Rule allows manufacturers of cosmetics products to list all ingredients included at 1% or less in any order. And, this can be critically important to consumers to really understand the efficacy of a cosmetic product.

Let’s take a look at a List Of Ingredients of a commercially-available product. For illustrative purposes, here’s a popular Vitamin C serum:

Ingredients: Water, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Squalane, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Peg-8 Beeswax, Citrus Sinesis (Sweet Orange) Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Ppg-12/Smdi Copolymer, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Jojoba Esters, Glycolic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Chlorphenesin Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Linalool, Limonene

The 1% Line: How to identify it

Generally, the 1% Line, the point at which all ingredients following it can be listed in any order can be guesstimated by looking for preservative ingredients, since many preservatives are included at 1% or less. In this particular case, Phenoxyethanol, a preservative component, is possibly/likely the beginning of the 1% line. So, all of the ingredients following Phenoxyethanol are included at 1% or less and can be listed in any order.

For instance, an alternative List Of Ingredients for this product could be in compliance with FDA labeling regulations by altering the order of the ingredients below the 1% Line:

Ingredients: Water, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Squalane, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Peg-8 Beeswax, Citrus Sinesis (Sweet Orange) Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Ppg-12/Smdi Copolymer, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Jojoba Esters, Glycolic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Chlorphenesin, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Linalool, Limonene

In this alternate List of Ingredients presentation, the humectants are listed at the top of the 1% line.

Taking a closer look at the List Of Ingredients for this product, you will see that Sweet Orange Oil is higher on the list than Phenoxyethanol. These are essential oils added for fragrance and fragrance components are rarely added above 1%, so the true 1% line on this product may be the Sweet Orange Oil. Basically, the main functional ingredients working in this product are Tetrahexadecyl Ascorbate and Squalane. Most all the other ingredients are either structural ingredients (emulsifiers, polymeric gelling agents), preservatives, antioxidants or pH adjusters.

Types of Ingredients

Ingredients in a cosmetic product can be:

Funtional Ingredients have an effect on the skin that improves its appearance such as Vitamin C, Glycolic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid

Structural Ingredients such as emulsifiers, thickeners, preservatives, pH adjusters are ingredients that are necessary to create the form of the product (emulsifiers, thickeners) and prevent it from becoming contaminated (preservatives, pH adjusters). Structural Ingredients do not have an effect on the skin that improves its appearance. Common Structural Ingredients are Glyceryl Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteary Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Phenethyl Alcohol

Label Ingredients are generally included in a formula for marketing purposes to tell a marketing story. Label Ingredients are usually included in very small quantities and really don’t have any effect on improving the appearance of the skin. The most common Label Ingredients are plant extracts such as Licorice Root, Calendula, Green Tea.

Types of Ingredients and the 1% Rule

Let’s take a look at another product List Of Ingredients:

Ingredients: Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice,, Citrus Aurantium (Neroli) Flower Distillate, Glycerin,, Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Hyaluronate, Terminalia Chebula (Chebula) Fruit Extract, Echinacea Purpurea (Echinacea) Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract*, Sambucus Nigra (Elder) Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol,, Sodium Phytate

This product is marketed as a hydrating, anti-aging serum focusing on Chebula as the “hero” anti-aging ingredient. Basically, it’s a hyaluronic acid serum in a hydrosol base laced with plant extracts. The most likely 1% rule ingredient is the Sodium Hyaluronate. So, the Functional Ingredients in this product are Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate as humectants to increase moisturization and Chebula as an antioxidant/free radical scavenger. All of the other ingredients are primarily Structural and Label ingredients.

A product with the following List Of Ingredients would most likely be equally effective:

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Terminalis Chebula (Chebual) Fruit Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Sodium Phytate

Label Ingredients: The Skinny On Aloe Vera Juice, Hydrosols and Plant Extracts

Hydrosols, Juices and Plant Extracts are the most common Label Ingredients. You will often see Aloe Vera Juice as a base in natural products, for instance. But, more commonly, you will see plant extracts with marketing claims of the fantastic skin benefits of the extract.

Here’s The Skinny: Most plant extracts are 92% Water / 8% Plant Extract or 46% Water / 46% Glycerin / 8% Plant Extract. And, most plant extracts are included in a product at 1% or less. So, the amount of actual plant extract in the product is .01% X .08% = .0008%. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that quantity of plant extract is going to have any effect on your skin. Aloe Vera Juice and Hydrosols have not been proven to have an effect on your skin.

Plant extracts do make for a nice marketing story. Instead, look for products containing the purified actives of the plant extract. For example, if you see Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola) Extract on a list of ingredients, it’s primarily a Label Ingredient. However, if you see Asiaticoside (and) Asiatic Acid (and) Madecassic Acid then the product contains the purified bio-active components of the Gotu Kola plant and could have an actual effect on the appearance of your skin.

Functional Ingredients Below The 1% Line

Not to imply that all ingredients below the 1% line don’t have any beneficial effect on your skin. While most are Structural and Label ingredients, the key Functional ingredients that are effective in small percentages and are often found below the 1% Line are Hylauronic Acid, Tripeptides, Retinol, Ceramides and purified extract bio-actives.