Check your serum, moisturiser or sunscreen, ingredient by ingredient.

How to check a label

1. Paste the list from the pack or the product page. A percentage printed on the label is shown as printed.
2. Find the actives (niacinamide, acids, retinoids) and note their position: higher usually means more, though below 1% the order is free.
3. Look for what you prefer to avoid: fragrance, drying alcohol, essential oils. The checker groups them.
4. Read the summary for official flags, each linked to its source, and for names marked "we don't know".

Actives, and where they sit

The ingredients a product is sold on, such as Niacinamide or Salicylic Acid, are often a small part of the formula. Their position on the list gives a rough idea of how much there is, and the checker shows any percentage the label prints.

Most of a moisturiser is usually water, humectants such as Glycerin that hold water in the skin, and emollients and thickeners that give the texture.

What the checker flags on skincare

In skincare the most common flags are EU limits: preservatives such as Phenoxyethanol are allowed up to a maximum concentration, UV filters are allowed only from an approved list with limits, and some actives are restricted to certain products or strengths. Fragrance allergens must be named on EU labels above a threshold. Each flag links to the regulation entry it comes from.

None of these flags says the product in your hand breaks a rule or is unsafe: the label does not give amounts.