How to read the label of a skin care product

By Hannah Sivak, PhD

Rule # 1: Dont bother reading the marketing spiel,
go straight for the ingredient list. The FDA demands a straightforward
ingredient list that uses INCI names; the ingredients must appear in order of
concentration (highest first). Ingredients present at less of 1% can go at the
end of the list in any order.

Sometimes, hoping that the FDA is too busy
with other stuff, manufacturers may gee up with terms like torricellum or
other non-existing ingredients, or play with typos hoping that you will not
detect a bad ingredient, but in general they do geply with the rules.


Rule # 2: Not all extracts are the same.
I think the most misleading term in a label is extract. Most extracts
used by manufacturers are hydroglycolic extracts, and much of what is good in
the plant material is not extracted by the water and propylene glycol solution
that makes 99% of the extract.

The INCI (international nomenclature of
cosmetic ingredients) names may seem obscure but you will find them explained in
a number of websites.

Rule # 3: Translate.
This is an example, the ingredient list for
Caudalie Buffing Cream:
Water, hexyldecyl stearate, cellulose, hydrogenated
jojoba oil, glycerin, grape (Vitis vinifera) seed oil, sorbitan stearate,
glyceryl stearate, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, polyacrylamide, xanthan gum,
C13-14 isoparaffin, butylene glycol, tocopherol, methylparaben, licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra )extract, isobutylparaben, butylparaben ethylparaben,
Laureth 7, chlorhexidine digluconate

Translation: Water, hexyldecyl
stearate (emollient), cellulose (thickener), hydrogenated jojoba oil (jojoba
beads), glycerin (skin conditioner, humectant), grape seed oil (emollient),
sorbitan stearate (emulsifier), glyceryl stearate (emulsifier), fragrance,
phenoxyethanol (preservative), polyacrylamide (thickener), xanthan gum
(thickener), C13-14 isoparaffin (emollient), butylene glycol (solvent),
tocopherol (synthetic vitamin E, antioxidant), methylparaben (preservative),
licorice extract (anti-inflammatory), isobutylparaben (preservative),
butylparaben (preservative), ethylparaben (preservative), Laureth 7
(emulsifier), chlorhexidine digluconate (preservative).

There is
nothing basically wrong with these ingredients, but I think it is always a good
exercise to read and understand the ingredient list before we chose to buy the
product. There is nothing better to help us resist the temptation of a beautiful
jar than ingredients we know to be mostly fillers and detergents.For the heavily promoted Tripeptinon:Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia
Chinesis, Ceramide geplex 2, Ubiquinone, Amino Multi-Tides,
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Peg10 Rapeseed Sterol, Triticum Vulgare,
Glycyrrhiza Glabra, Carthamus Tinctorius, Angelica Archangelica
Extract, Tribehenin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Citrus Bark Extract.Translation: silicones, shea butter and other cream base ingredients plus Coenzyme Q10, ceramides, amino acids, vitamin C, liquorice.Not bad at all, but worth $80 for a fraction of an ounce? Not really.

Rule # 4: Think before you pay $200 for half an ounce of something.

Then,
when you are about to buy 1 oz. of Z. Bigatti for $200, you can translate into
English the following ingredient list:

Water, grape seed extract, propylene
glycol, glycerin, cyclomethicone, PEG-100 Stearate, glyceryl stearate, squalane,
apricot kernel oil, soybean oil, green tea extract, butylene glycol, tocopheryl
acetate, dimethicone, linoleic acid, glyceryl distearate, cetyl alcohol, stearyl
alcohol, polyacrylamide, C13-14 isoparaffin, laureth-7, alpha lipoic acid,
sodium hyaluronate, lemon peel extract, kelp extract, dandelion extract, ginseng
root extract, watercress extract, lemongrass extract, rose hip extract, shea
butter, glyceryl linoleate, hydrolyzed soy protein, retinyl palmitate, carrot
extract, arginine, superoxide dismutase, caffeine, panthenol, niacin,
phytonadione, riboflavin, folic acid, cyanocobalamin, eucalyptus oil, glyceryl
hydroxystearate, PEG-40 Stearate, corn starch modified, imidazolidinyl urea,
methylparaben, propylparaben, tetrasodium EDTA, Cl 19140 (Yellow 5), Cl 15510
(Orange 4), Cl 14700 (Red 4).

Rule # 5: changing your mind is O.K.
...and decide that you may as well buy (from
SAS) Canvas base cream, grape seed proanthocyanidins, green tea EGCG, olive
extract, green tea caffeine, antiOx booster, rosehip oil, alpha lipoic acid,
lemon peel bioferment, sea kelp bioferment, shea butter, retinyl acetate,
superoxide dismutase and niacinamide.

Rule # 6: In skin care, more expensive is NOT always better.

By making this decision, you are not
sacrificing anything, you are getting higher activity.