Guides
Read any label with confidence.
Short, sourced guides to the questions a label raises. Each one answers first, then explains, and says what an ingredient list cannot tell you.
Reading any label
How to read a cosmetic ingredient list
A cosmetic ingredient list names what is in a product, using standard names, in rough order from most to least. Read it in three passes: find the list and its names, group the names by what they do, and treat the order as a rough guide to amount. It cannot tell you exact amounts, the parts of a fragrance, or how your own skin will respond.
Read the guideWhat is INCI? Cosmetic ingredient names explained
INCI names are the standard ingredient names printed on cosmetic labels. They are assigned by the International Cosmetic Ingredient Nomenclature Committee, sponsored by the Personal Care Products Council, and the EU builds its official glossary of label names on them. One ingredient can still appear under more than one name, so Aqua and Water, or CI 77891 and Titanium Dioxide, can be the same substance.
Read the guideCosmetic ingredient list order: what position tells you
Cosmetic ingredients are listed from most to least: in the EU by weight at the time each is added, in the US by predominance. Two exceptions blur the picture. Ingredients below 1% may follow in any order, and colourants may go at the end in any order. So the first names are the largest, but a position is never a percentage.
Read the guideWhat an ingredient scanner can and cannot tell you
Not from the list alone. An ingredient list tells you what a product contains and roughly in what order, but not how much of each ingredient there is, how pure it is, how the formula is built or how much reaches your skin. Those facts decide whether a hazard becomes a risk, and in the EU a qualified assessor weighs them before a product goes on sale.
Read the guideHow to compare skincare ingredient lists
To compare two skincare ingredient lists, match the names first, then compare the first five ingredients, find the active ingredient in each and note where it sits, and compare preservatives, scent and any groups you avoid. Shared names in a similar order point to similar formulas, but without amounts the lists cannot show which product is stronger or which will suit you.
Read the guideFragrance free vs unscented: what the labels mean
Fragrance free and unscented are different claims. Unscented describes a smell, and the FDA notes that an unscented product may still contain fragrance added to mask the odour of other ingredients. Fragrance free says no fragrance is present. Neither term is defined in the EU cosmetics regulation or the FDA's labelling rules, so check the list for Parfum or Fragrance, named fragrance substances and scented plant oils.
Read the guideEU fragrance allergen labels: what changed in 2023
EU cosmetic labels must name certain fragrance substances individually, in addition to Parfum, when they exceed 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off one. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 lengthened that list well beyond the original 24, adding 44 new entries. Products placed on the EU market from 1 August 2026 must follow it, and older stock may be sold until 31 July 2028.
Read the guideHaircare
How to read a shampoo ingredient list
Most shampoo ingredients do one of five jobs: clean, condition, thicken or balance the formula, preserve it, or add scent. Find the cleansers just after water, then the conditioning agents, then the small print. Read "sulfate-free" or "silicone-free" as a description of what was left out, not a promise about how the shampoo will feel.
Read the guideSLS vs SLES: what one extra letter changes
SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate) are both cleansing surfactants, but SLES is made from lauryl alcohol that has been ethoxylated before it is sulfated. That step shows on skin: in patch tests at the same concentrations, SLS caused a pronounced irritant reaction and SLES a far milder one. Both belong to a wider family of sulfates, so read the whole name, not just the last word.
Read the guideWhat does sulfate-free shampoo mean?
A sulfate-free shampoo leaves out sulfate cleansers such as sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate and cleans with other surfactants instead, such as isethionates, glucosides, sarcosinates or betaines. The claim says what is absent. It does not say what replaced it, how much cleanser there is, or how gentle the result will be. And some ingredients with sulfate in their name, such as magnesium sulfate, are not cleansers at all.
Read the guideSilicones in hair products: what they do and how to spot them
Silicones are neither simply good nor bad for hair: they are conditioning ingredients that coat each strand, cut friction when you comb and help with frizz and shine. Silicones that do not dissolve in water, such as dimethicone, can build up with repeated use, particularly on fine or oily hair, and need a stronger cleanser to wash out. Volatile and water-soluble silicones leave less behind.
Read the guideMakeup
Check a label now
Ingredient checker · Shampoo ingredient checker · Hair product scanner · Beauty product scanner · Skincare ingredient checker · Makeup ingredient checker
More guides are being written and checked against their sources before they are published.