How to read ingredients of cosmetics?
Trying to decipher cosmetic labels for many people seems breakneck. It is worth knowing a few simple rules that will make it easier to choose the best product. Here’s a quick guide to reading ingredients.
Length matters
As with food products, cosmetics with clear and short ingredients are most sought after. A long composition of a cosmetic deserves special attention: it can mean a multitude of valuable active substances or a high amount of fillers and synthetics. As a rule, we have to deal with the second situation. It is safer to invest in cosmetics with short, friendly ingredients.
The higher you go, the more
According to the regulations, cosmetic ingredients are placed on the labels in a non-accidental order. In first place is the component with the most in a given product, in last place is the one with the least. If a manufacturer’s promise is that a high content of hyaluronic acid will provide deep skin hydration, while hyaluronic acid itself is at the bottom of the list in the ingredients, it means that the manufacturer is using dishonest marketing.
Manufacturers are not required to include information on the percentage of ingredients in a product. In general, the first few items of the ingredients are enough to estimate the active substances of a cosmetic. It is worth noting whether valuable extracts, extracts and minerals are at the top of the list. If water, fillers and silicones reign at the top of it, we say a definite no to such a cosmetic.
Preservatives are not bad
Although preservatives are not infamous in popular opinion, they should not be feared. They are an indispensable addition in the production of safe cosmetics – without them, most skin care products would be usable for a few days at most. This is because preservatives have a protective function: they protect cosmetics from harmful effects of temperatures, microorganisms and free radicals. Thus, they ensure safe use throughout the shelf life of the cosmetic. Products that are improperly preserved will not only fail to live up to the manufacturer’s promises, but can also be dangerous to the skin. It is worth knowing that the fewer preservatives, the shorter the shelf life of the product. Particular attention should be paid to the lowest possible presence of preservatives by people with tendencies to contact allergies.
The most common preservatives in natural cosmetics are of natural origin, which include sodium benzoate, dehydroacetic acid, potassium sorbate, gluconolactone, salicylic acid, benzyl alcohol, tocopherol, levulinic acid, etc.
A list of legally permitted preservatives can be found in the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009, dated November 30, 2009.
Ingredients it is better to avoid
The condition for placing a cosmetic on the market in is to meet a number of requirements and pass a number of stringent tests, dictated by strict European Union regulations.
Cosmetics approved for circulation contain only safe substances in their ingredients. However, some of them become dangerous in doses that exceed a strict limit. This happens when these ingredients appear in several different products of daily use. It is worth taking care that in the ingredients of our cosmetics do not duplicate such substances as:
- SLS, SLES – foaming substances, causing drying of the skin and feeling of tightness, not suitable for sensitive skin
- Polyacrylamide – a filler that increases the density of the product; its accumulation has carcinogenic effects
- Triethanolamine, TEA – substance that maintains the proper PH of the product; excess may contribute to cancer formation
- Paraffin – forms an impermeable protective layer, impeding gas exchange; it is better to replace it with natural plant oils
- Silicones – impede the skin’s ability to freely exchange gas and penetrate ingredients deep into the skin; sometimes difficult to remove
- Phthalates – banned in cosmetics for the youngest; in excess they increase the risk of asthma and allergies
Choose to shop online
Daily shopping is rarely accompanied by peace of mind and enough time to analyze the ingredients of a new cosmetic. Sometimes product labels are simply too small to read the contents. It is worth taking a picture of the product and analyzing its ingredients on the Internet. This will allow you to check substances whose names sound foreign and assess whether the product meets our requirements.
