Skincare Starter: How to Read an Ingredient List
A novice’s guide to reading the back of a skincare product label like it’s the front, without being a chemist.
As a chemist I can skim an ingredient list and immediately get a mental gist of the product’s function, feel, and scent. Skimming an ingredient list is for me like a time machine into the product’s future on my skin. As I read the ingredient list a Bachelor-like clipshow screens through my brain; in seconds I can anticipate possible skin drama or perfect matches based on the ingredients contained. I can thank not the pseudoscience of clairvoyance, but the science of physical chemistry for this Sephora shopping superpower. Thanks science.
But for those with better things to do than to sit around and parse the expected differences in the fatty acid profiles of natural extracts based on distillation methods, I’ve come up with some Joey-approved rules.
Keep in mind that these three general guidelines are designed to help you start to crack the ingredient code. These rules are by no means steadfast; they’re just designed to get through the ingredient list, fast.
1. Chop the list into three sections
Ingredients are listed in decreasing order of percent composition. Even for a product with 30 ingredients to its name, most of the bulk of the product, say 80–90% of it, is comprised of the first 3–5 ingredients. These ingredients are mostly responsible for the overall feel and function of the product, so this is where you should pay the most attention. It’s the first five ingredients that make a cleanser a cleanser, and eye cream an eye cream.
The middle third of the list is made up of ingredients that contribute to stability and texture, and are generally present at levels between 1–10%. This may seem low, but these ingredients are not to be discounted; to a chemist, 1% is a significant amount! For some ingredients, a little truly goes a long way.
With the exception of color pigments, all ingredients present below 1% can be listed in any order the brand sees fit. Most choose to front-load the bottom section of the list with essential oils, and save the more chemically sounding ingredients for last, with the idea that most consumers think all ingredients are listed in descending order.
2. Look for the preservatives
Look for preservatives to help find the 1% line. Common preservatives include Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, and Sodium Benzoate.
Individual preservatives are used at very low levels, between 0.10–0.50%. Sometimes formulators use a premix of preservatives, totaling up to 1%. For the reason discussed above, however, formulators tend to list preservatives separately, using their individual percent composition so that they can list preservatives further down in the list.
Most preservative-centric content is fabricated to fearmonger. This isn’t one of those blurbs. Me directing you to the preservatives isn’t me inviting you down the rabbit hole of hysteria surrounding parabens. I’m simply pointing out a useful landmark. If you’ve found the preservatives, you’re safely below the 1% line.
3. Find the “signal” ingredient
Now read the first 2–3 ingredients before the first preservative, and any ingredients after. Are there any essential oils in this region? If there are, it’s likely one of two things is true: (1) the essential oils contribute a natural fragrance, while providing additional antimicrobials to boost the performance of the preservatives. (Remember, even ingredients at very low levels can be effective!) Or (2) if the essential oil is also listed on the front of the label, or is key to the product name or branding, the oil is likely added less for its chemical function and more for its marketing appeal as a “signal” ingredient.
That’s it!
I hope Ingredient lists feel a lot less intimidating now. But if you still don’t feel up to the task of finding your perfect product match via an ingredient list skim, look to brands who’ve curated ingredients specifically for you and your skin’s needs.
How to use the rule of thirds to identify products worth buying.
Honest brands don’t oversell on the promise of signal ingredients. They will either claim an essential oil, and use it at a precipitable amount — so that it appears within the first two thirds of the ingredient list — or they’ll use it as a subtle scent and preservative booster, but not as part of their main marketing.
In this way the rule of thirds is a simple way to gut-check the honesty of a product, and identify which ingredients really matter.
I often use the product rule of thirds to get a quick idea of whether or not a fancy-sounding or -looking product is worth the extra cost. For example, if the first third is loaded with water and glycols, and the third filled with essential oils, the product is more often than not a cheaper mimic of what it could be. In that case, I shop around for a product with a similar first third, even if it means buying an uglier label.
But with Geologie you don’t have to compromise. They make no over-promises and use no unnecessary ingredients. A quick skim of the ingredient list show products honest in their mission to give men personalized, no-fuss skincare regimens. Geologie’s ingredients are as short and honest as they come.
Bonus! Geologie sends an ingredient explainer card with each of their products, so you know how best to use the regimen and how each ingredient is working for you.
Happy Skincare!
Consult your dermatologist for skincare advice; this is only one chemist’s opinion.
