Natural Europe › Reading INCI lists
Guide · Cosmetics
How to read an INCI list
Every cosmetic sold in the EU must list its ingredients by their INCI names. Five rules let you read almost any label.
The five rules
- Order = amount. Ingredients above 1% are listed in descending order of concentration. Below 1% they may appear in any order. So if a "rose cream" lists rose oil after the preservative, there is very little of it.
- Latin means plant. Botanicals use genus + species + part: Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is sunflower oil. Chemicals use English chemical names.
- Allergens at the end. Linalool, limonene and others are declared separately even when they come from essential oils.
- CI numbers are colours. CI 77491 is iron oxide, for example.
- Know the exclusions. Certified natural cosmetics (NATRUE, COSMOS) do not contain silicones, PEGs, parabens, mineral oil or phenoxyethanol. If you see them, the product is conventional, whatever the packaging says.
Worked example
Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil*, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter*, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Parfum**, Linalool**, Limonene**.
*organic, **from natural essential oils
This is a simple natural moisturiser: water and aloe base, sunflower oil and shea for richness, glycerin to hold moisture, a sugar-based emulsifier, xanthan to thicken, vitamin E as antioxidant and a natural fragrance whose allergens are declared. Run it through the INCI decoder to see each part highlighted.
Marketing words vs. the list
"Natural", "clean" and "dermatologically tested" are not protected terms. The ingredient list and a recognised certification seal are what count. See what NATRUE, COSMOS and BDIH actually certify.