Key Takeaways

• In the US and the EU, a cosmetic ingredient list starts with the ingredient present in the largest amount and works down from there.

• Both sets of rules let low-concentration ingredients (1% or less in the US, under 1% in the EU) appear in any order after the rest, so the tail of a list isn’t a ranking.

• Both sets of rules let color additives go at the very end in any order (in the EU, hair colorants excepted).

• A list shows what’s in a formula and roughly how much, but it doesn’t show exact concentrations or promise any visible result.

What a Skincare Ingredient List Is Built to Show

Turn a moisturizer over and the back panel can read like a chemistry exam. The list follows rules, and knowing two of them makes it easier to scan.

Those rules come from two places. In the US, ingredient labeling for cosmetics is set out in 21 CFR 701.3, which FDA explains in its Cosmetics Labeling Guide. In the EU, it’s Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. The two overlap a lot, though the details differ in places.

The names are standardized as well. In the EU, Article 33 of the same regulation calls for a glossary of common ingredient names that takes account of the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, or INCI. In the US, FDA’s guide says an ingredient is identified by a name FDA has set or, failing that, by the name used in a series of reference compendia.

Descending Order and the 1% Line

The US rule is that ingredients are declared “in descending order of predominance.” The EU wording is “descending order of weight of the ingredients at the time they are added.” Either way, the first name on the list is the one present in the largest amount.

Then comes the 1% line. Under FDA’s guide, ingredients at a concentration not exceeding 1% may be listed in any order after the ingredients above 1%. The EU rule says ingredients under 1% may be listed in any order after those above 1%. Color additives can follow at the end in any order in both systems, though the EU excludes hair colorants.

One catch: Neither rule makes a brand mark where that line falls, and FDA notes that concentrations themselves need not be declared. Once you reach the stretch of a list where order stops being reliable, it’s more useful to read those ingredients as a group than as a ranking.

What a List Can and Can’t Tell You

The top of a list can hint at what a formula is mostly built from. If you know the main ingredient types, you can often tell whether a cream leans on water-binding or film-forming ingredients, and the difference between hydrating and moisturizing helps here.

What a list can’t show is exact amounts, how the ingredients were combined, or how a formula might look and feel on your skin. A name near the top is a clue about quantity, not a promise of a visible result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the First Ingredient Make Up Most of the Product?

It’s present in the largest amount, since the list starts with the most predominant ingredient. Neither the US nor the EU rule says that first ingredient has to be more than half of the formula, though.

Why Is Fragrance Listed as One Word?

US rules let fragrance be declared as “fragrance.” EU rules use “parfum” or “aroma,” and certain fragrance substances named in an annex of the regulation must also be listed individually. If you’d rather avoid it, a separate guide covers fragrance-free skincare.

Do Products That Are Also Drugs List Ingredients Differently?

Yes, in the US. If a cosmetic is also a drug, FDA’s guide says the drug ingredients are declared first, under the heading “Active Ingredient,” and the cosmetic ingredients follow.