Paste an ingredient list. See what each ingredient does, and what is flagged.

How to use it

1. Copy the ingredient list from a product page, or type it from the label. The “Ingredients:” heading, line breaks and asterisks can stay.
2. Paste it above and choose Check ingredients. Every name is listed in the order the label gives it.
3. Look at anything marked Suggested match and confirm the name you meant, or say it is none of them. Undo any correction you disagree with.
4. Read the summary at the top: how many ingredients an official source flags, and how many we know nothing about. Each flagged row names its source; open it to read the rule itself.
5. Open an ingredient’s page to read what it is and why it is used.

What it knows, and your privacy

34,785 official ingredient names from the European Commission (its 2025 glossary of common ingredient names and CosIng, its cosmetic ingredient database), and 4,962 other ways labels print them: US names, common names, colour index numbers and E numbers. Another 405 common names could mean more than one ingredient, such as Vitamin E, so the checker asks which one rather than guessing.

500 of the most common have a full plain-language page in the ingredient dictionary. Every other recognised name is shown with its role in a formula. Dataset 2026.10.10.2.

Processed in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent anywhere. The page downloads the list of ingredient names once, a file that is the same for everyone, and does all the matching on your device. Nothing you paste is stored. See the privacy policy.

Checking one kind of product? Shampoo ingredient checker · Hair product scanner · Beauty product scanner · Skincare ingredient checker · Makeup ingredient checker · Compare two lists

What the flags mean

2,106 of the names the checker knows have at least one statement from an official source: the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and its annexes, and the EU’s harmonised classification of chemicals (CLP). Each statement is shown with its level and a link to the source.

Not permitted in EU cosmetics

On Annex II, the list of substances cosmetics sold in the EU must not contain.

Potential concern

The pure substance has an EU harmonised classification such as may cause cancer or may damage fertility, or is a skin sensitiser. How much a product contains matters, and a label does not say.

Restricted in certain uses

Allowed only within limits: a maximum concentration, certain products only, or a warning on the pack. Approved preservatives, colourants and UV filters are all listed with limits like these.

Worth knowing

A labelling rule, such as a fragrance allergen that must be named, or a lesser classification of the pure substance.

Insufficient information

Recognised, but no source we use says anything about it. We don’t know, which is not the same as harmless. Unknown names are treated the same way.

Read how sources are chosen in the methodology, and why a list cannot give a verdict in what an ingredient scanner can and cannot tell you.

What the results mean

Recognised

Printed as an official INCI name, the international name labels use, exactly or with a note in brackets, a word such as Organic, or a line break inside it.

Known alias

Printed under another accepted name, such as Eau for Aqua or Shea Butter for Butyrospermum Parkii Butter. The row shows both.

Corrected

Read with a correction the label’s own text supports: two names with no comma between them, a plant part left out, different spacing, a British spelling or a plural, a stray character, or characters a camera mixes up, such as a zero for the letter O, when only one ingredient fits and no number changes. Applied, shown with the text as printed, and one tap to undo.

Suggested match

Anything less certain: a letter missing or added, a different number, or a common name with several meanings, such as Vitamin E. Up to three readings, the likeliest first. Nothing is assumed: it counts once you confirm which name you meant.

Unknown

Not among the names the checker knows. Unknown is not the same as harmless, so it stays on the list.

A group such as Fragrance or Silicones is a fact about an ingredient, shown so you can find what you prefer to avoid. It is not a warning.

What it can and cannot tell you

• It can tell you what each ingredient is used for in a formula, and which commonly watched groups it belongs to, such as fragrance, drying alcohol or silicones.
• No amounts. A label lists ingredients, not concentrations, and the order is only roughly by amount. A percentage printed on the label is shown as printed and not used.
• Flags, not a safety verdict. A flag repeats what an official source says about the ingredient: banned or restricted in EU cosmetics, or classified as hazardous as a pure substance. A label gives no amounts, so a flag does not mean the product is unsafe, and no flag does not mean it suits you. There is no score and no allergy clearance. If you react to a product, speak to a doctor or pharmacist.
• Copied text can be misread. A list taken from a photo may contain misreadings. Confirm anything marked Suggested match against the label itself.
• Partial lists give partial answers. Only what you paste is checked, and Parfum can stand for many scent ingredients the label does not name.