INCI Guide (I): what it is and how to interpret it

There is a list on every cosmetic that most people ignore. It's in small print, in Latin or technical English, and is often squashed between the barcode and the recycling symbol. It's called INCI: International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, and it's the only part of the packaging that cannot lie to you.

Everything else is marketing. INCI is not.

What it exactly is

INCI is the official and standardized list of ingredients for any cosmetic sold in Europe. It is regulated by the European Union and is mandatory for all products. The names follow an international nomenclature, mostly in Latin for botanical ingredients and in English for chemical ones, so they are recognizable in any country, regardless of the label's language.

In other words: the INCI of a product bought in Spain, France, or Germany uses exactly the same names. It is the universal language of cosmetics.

The most important rule: the order

Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. The first on the list is the most abundant in the formula; the last, the least.

There is a nuance: beyond approximately 1% concentration, the order may no longer be strict. Ingredients in very small quantities, such as preservatives, fragrances, or active ingredients in low doses, can appear in any order beyond that threshold.

In practice, this means two things:

What appears at the beginning matters. If the second ingredient is water and the third is alcohol, that tells you something. If the second is argan oil, it also tells you something.

Active ingredients at the end of the list are not necessarily useless. Some ingredients are very effective at low concentrations, such as niacinamide, retinol, and bakuchiol. Being at the end does not mean they do nothing; it means they are present in small quantities, which might be exactly what is needed.

INCI names vs common names

The same ingredient can have an INCI name that bears no resemblance to how you know it. Here are some examples from our catalog:

INCI Name	What it is
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil	Argan oil
Persea Gratissima Oil	Avocado oil
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter	Share Share this product INCI Guide (I): what it is and how to interpret it Discover what an INCI is, how to read cosmetic ingredients and understand their functions to better choose your facial routine. 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