Have you ever wondered what on earth is in your favourite skincare products, but been unable to decipher the ingredient list? Maybe you've got rosacea or skin allergies and want to know exactly what you are putting on your skin. Of course, any ingredient can be an allergen to someone, somewhere. But once you know how to decode the ingredients list, you can choose products more easily and develop a skincare routine that works for you. This ultimate guide will help you do just that.
How to read a skincare label
Product labels all look different from one another, but on closer inspection, they contain similar information. Much of this information is a legal requirement; but the most important is the ingredients list. Here you’ll be able to spot potential irritants and allergens as well as root out products with gimmicky marketing and low percentages of natural ingredients.
Cracking these questions can be a bit more of an undertaking, but I’ve got you covered. When I first began to suffer from severe skin sensitivities, I started a journey to understand what I was putting on my skin, and it all started with decoding the ingredients list. Let’s start with some definitions and basics of how to read a skincare ingredient list.
All natural cleanser: Reset Cleansing Balm
This is what transparent, and customer friendly product labelling looks like!
Where to find the cosmetic ingredients
Every product should have its full ingredients listed on the packaging. If the container is tiny, it may be on the outer box or a leaflet attached. If that’s the case, you will see the open book symbol on the container. Either way, it should be somewhere you can easily find it—you shouldn’t have to dig around for the information online or elsewhere. You can find out more about Pamoja's skincare ingredients by clicking here.
Should I avoid a long ingredient list?
Not necessarily. Contrary to popular belief a short ingredient list isn't always better. It's more important to think about the following:-
Quality ingredients - like Rubus idaeus (Red Raspberry) seed oil upcycled from the UK juice industry and containing more antioxidant vitamin E than a standard cold pressed oil. Find this in Revive Multi-action Face Cream.
Not being wary of unfamiliar names like barrier strengthening Ectoin and Glycerol Glucoside - unusual sounding but both 100% natural actives clinically proven to deliver outstanding results in your skin. Find these in Replenish Hydrating Serum.
Transparent labelling - some cosmetic ingredients are made of several components and each one must be listed separately, and in the correct order based on their percentage of the whole. This often means an ingredient list can look rather long! For example some plant based extracts are blended to make them more viscous and easier to pour or are mixed with antioxidants to give them a longer shelf life. This doesn't necessarily mean the product should be avoided, just that you should be aware what the ingredients are and brands should be making this easy for you.
What order are ingredients listed in?
Ingredients are always listed in order of prominence from the highest percentage to lowest percentage. Typically, the first five or six ingredients in the list make up the majority of the product. So, if a label claims a product is packed with natural ingredients, for example, looking at the order of ingredients can tell you if that’s true. At Pamoja, there are no cheap fillers in our products, every ingredient is a star and has a role to play in the product.
It’s worth knowing that while many ingredients aren’t effective in amounts less than 1%, many are and provide great benefits at this level. A good example would be Rosmarinis officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract, which is a powerful antioxidant (not to be confused with Rosemary essential oil). This extract is often used in natural skincare and is most effective at a quantity of 0.1%. You’ll see an example of this in the ingredients of Reset Cleansing Balm Essential Oil Free.
Understanding a skincare label ingredient list
You may have heard an ingredient list referred to as an INCI list, which stands for “international nomenclature of cosmetic ingredients” and is a standardised system used in the European Union, China, Japan, and many other countries.
On a Pamoja skincare label, you’ll find plain English alongside the INCI listing to help you understand what you are putting on your skin, e.g. Astrocaryum (Murumuru) seed butter. Listing ingredients in this way is particularly helpful if you have a food allergy and want to avoid cold-pressed and unrefined oils derived from sesame, nuts etc. Pamoja products do not contain ingredients derived from the major food allergens.
Did you know that the Latin name for hazelnut oil is Corylus Avellana oil?
Check out my blog page on how to enjoy natural skincare if you have food allergies, or find answers to 'what is a skin barrier'?
At Pamoja you’ll also see an explanation of the role that functional ingredients play in the product, e.g. Glycerin (humectant). You’ll see how this works in the ingredient list of Revive Multi-action Face Cream.
Fragrance ingredients in skincare
If you see the word ‘parfum’ it’s likely to be an artificial fragrance. Essential oils which provide natural fragrance will be listed individually e.g. Cananga odorata (Ylang Ylang) flower oil, a beautifully aromatic essential oil found in Restore Radiance Booster.
Essential oils also tend to be used in very small quantities for safety reasons, so you will be likely to see these listed towards the end of an ingredients list. You may also notice words like linalool, citral, geraniol etc listed at the end of an ingredients list. These are naturally occurring ingredients within essential oils, known as fragrance allergens and must be declared if they occur over a certain percentage within a product.
Skincare ingredients to avoid
Have you ever wondered 'which skincare ingredients should I avoid?' All complexions differ and you can become sensitised to any ingredient at any time. Even the most natural ingredients can be potential allergens so it’s important to always patch test a new product. Equally, many synthetic ingredients are perfectly safe. This point is not about scaremongering but rather raising your awareness of some of the more common skincare irritants to look out for:
- Artificial colours e.g. and fragrances e.g. parfum
- Phenoxyethanol
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Sulphates (SLS, SLES and ALS)
You'll never find any of these ingredients in Pamoja products. I use only natural colours e.g. from Calendula and Carrot extract and the natural aroma of essential oils. We want to help you by being transparent about ingredients and helping you to understand them.
There’s never a bad time to start understanding an ingredient list. It's one of the most valuable first steps you can do before you buy a product, and in establishing a routine that works for your skin.
With these tips in mind, you’re now ready to do your own fact-finding to select the products that will do the most good for your skin, and you can always practice your skills by reading over the ingredients in our products!
I hope you enjoyed this latest blog, thanks for reading.
Want to join my community? Sign up here for email updates and get 10% off your first order.
Sarah x
Are you new to Pamoja?
Hi, I'm Sarah, a 50 year old perimenopausal woman, trained skincare formulator and founder of Pamoja.
Pamoja is a high-performing natural skincare brand designed to help you nourish your skin and nurture yourself, because I believe you deserve more kindness in your daily routine.
Now with over 450+ five-star reviews. As seen in Vogue, Stylist, Woman's Health, Health and Wellbeing Magazine, Natural Health Magazine, Top Sante and more.
✨ If you enjoyed this, why not subscribe for access to 10% off your first order plus 'A Daily Dose of Kindness - 30 ways to Practice Self-care'. Sign up here.
Copyright: Sarah Taylor 7 August 2020.
Other reading:
Ectoin: a Game Changer for Radiant Skin - here's whst you need to know
6 Ways to Adapt Your Skincare in Your 40s
Skin SOS: Caring for Dry Skin in Perimenopause
10 Ways to Use a Booster Oil