What's in my skincare?
Do you know your Acetamidoethoxyethanol from your Zinc Oxide?
We are encouraged to read food labels but how often do we read the ingredients of what we put on our skin?
The number of people with a skin sensitivity to cosmetics, household products, substances at work and in the general environment runs into the millions. It affects all races and both sexes.
One in five of the population is “atopic” – with a tendency to develop eczema, hay fever or asthma – and is likely to develop rashes, hives and other skin reactions from contact with products including perfumes, hair dyes and costume jewellery.
Typically, an ingredients list for a moisturiser marketed as an eczema cream looks like this:
Aqua, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG-8, Isononyl Isononanoate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Dimethicone, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Synthetic Beeswax, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cera Alba, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Dimethylimidazolidinone Rice Starch, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hydrated Silica, Disodium Phosphate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Phosphate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Polyquaternium-51
But what do these names mean in plain English?
Translated, the first 3 ingredients are Water, Glycerin and Shea Butter. Ingredients, even natural or plant-based ones are given an INCI name.
INCI names (International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient) are systematic names internationally recognised to identify cosmetic ingredients. It is essentially a uniform system of labelling names for skin care and cosmetic ingredients and provides some transparency to consumers as ingredients are identified by a single labelling name, regardless of the national origin of the product.
Just because an ingredient has an INCI name does not mean that the ingredient is safe, or that it has been approved for cosmetics or skin care. Make sure you read the complete ingredient list not just the active ingredient list, particularly when it comes to ‘Natural’ products as the marketing can be deceiving.
Where can I find out more about what’s in my skin care?
There are several databases that you can run your favourite products through to find out what’s really in your skin care and more importantly whether those ingredients are potentially skin irritants.
The most user-friendly site that gets my vote is INCI Decoder. You can search by product, ingredient or cut and paste the ingredients list into a search and get the low-down on what the ingredients are, what they do and whether they are potential skin irritants.
The Environmental Working Group - EWG Skin Deep is another comprehensive database which I’d recommend cross-referencing if you have concerns over an ingredient or a known sensitivity.
Be more confident knowing what’s in your skin care.