The rules of the list (INCI)
- Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight down to 1% concentration.
- Below 1%, ingredients can appear in any order.
- "Star" actives often appear strategically — sometimes well below 1% even when the bottle screams the name.
- Fragrance components can hide under "parfum," "perfume," or "fragrance."
Where the actives usually sit
The 1% line is roughly where you'll see preservatives like phenoxyethanol or sodium benzoate. Everything below that line — including a star peptide blend, a "stem cell extract," or a "superfood oil" — is typically present at fractions of a percent.
Filler vs functional
- Water (Aqua) is fine. It's the solvent for most actives.
- Glycerin is one of the most useful humectants in skincare. High position is good news.
- Dimethicone, cyclomethicone create slip and aren't bad. They're not occlusive in the petrolatum sense.
- Caprylic/capric triglyceride, squalane are clean, well-tolerated emollients.
- Alcohol denat high in the list = drying. Low in the list = solvent helper, usually fine.
The "free of" trap
Marketing "free of parabens, sulfates, silicones, fragrance, gluten, soy" tells you very little about whether a product is well-formulated. Many of those ingredients are perfectly safe and useful. Read the actual list, not the badges.
Signal vs noise ingredients
| Strong signal | Niacinamide, retinol/retinal, salicylic acid, glycolic/lactic acid, ascorbic acid, ceramide NP/AP/EOP, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, zinc PCA. |
|---|---|
| Possible signal | Bakuchiol, centella asiatica, ectoin, beta-glucan, peptides at named percentages. |
| Noise / decoration | "Stem cell extracts," "snow algae," "diamond powder," "caviar extract," at vanishingly small percentages. |
A quick label-reading workflow
- Find the "star" active. Is it in the top 5 ingredients?
- Are there delivery helpers near it (penetration enhancers, glycols, niacinamide)?
- What's the base — gel, lotion, cream, oil? Does that match your skin type?
- Are there known irritants high in the list (fragrance, alcohol denat, essential oils)?
- Is there a preservative system? Anything without one and not packaged airtight is a problem.