How to read an INCI ingredient list
A quick guide for retail staff fielding ingredient questions.
Every cosmetic sold in the US lists its ingredients using INCI names (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients).
The basics - Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration, down to 1%. Below 1% they can appear in any order. - Aqua is water. Plant ingredients use Latin names, for example Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is shea butter. - Colourants appear at the end as CI numbers, often after "+/-" when a range comes in several shades.
Questions customers often ask - Fragrance-free: look for no Parfum, Aroma or essential oils. - Vegan: no beeswax (Cera Alba), carmine (CI 75470) or lanolin. - Paraben-free: no ingredients ending in -paraben.
Every product page in our catalog shows the full INCI list, so you can answer questions at the counter.