How to Read an INCI List (Skincare Ingredients Explained)

An INCI list is the list of ingredients printed on the back of every skincare product. INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, a standardised global naming system that means the same ingredient is written the same way everywhere in the world. Printing that list is a legal requirement, not a brand choice. By the end of this guide you will know what the order of an INCI list actually tells you, the point at which the order stops meaning anything, why so many ingredients are written in Latin, and how to decode the newer ingredient names now appearing on labels. Skincare has become complicated. Clarity is the fix. So let us start with what the list actually is, and who decides the names.

What is an INCI list?

The INCI meaning is simple once you unpack the acronym. INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, and it is the internationally recognised naming system used to identify cosmetic ingredients on packaging. Every ingredient in a cosmetic formula has an assigned INCI name, and that is the name that must appear on the label.

The important word there is “must”. Brands do not get to opt out of publishing an ingredients list, and they do not get to swap the official names for friendlier, more marketable ones. Under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, the cosmetics regulation that Great Britain retains under the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, the ingredients list is a legal labelling obligation. So if you have ever wondered what is INCI doing on a bottle of moisturiser, the answer is that it is the one part of the packaging that is not marketing.

The practical benefit of a standardised system is bigger than it first appears. Because the naming is global, the same ingredient carries the same name whether the product was bought in London, New York or Tokyo. If your skin reacts to something, you can identify that exact ingredient on any label, anywhere, in any language. You are not trying to translate a brand’s private vocabulary. You are reading a shared one.

Why so much Latin?

This is the question that stops most people at the second line of an ingredients list. Botanical ingredients are listed by their Latin binomial name, the formal two-part scientific name for the plant, usually followed by the common name in brackets. That is why shea butter appears as Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, and why oat oil appears as Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil.

There is a good reason for it. Plant common names vary wildly between countries and languages, but a Latin binomial identifies one specific species and nothing else. It is precision, not obfuscation.

The same logic explains why water is written as Water (Aqua / Eau). Multiple language variants are permitted on a single label so that one product can be sold across multiple markets without a separate print run for each. It is not three different ingredients. It is one ingredient, named for three audiences.

Which brings us to the most useful reassurance in this entire guide, and one worth holding onto.

A long name is not a warning. Butyrospermum Parkii is shea butter.

A long, scientific-looking name does not mean a harsh ingredient, and a short, familiar name does not mean a gentle one. Hyaluronic Acid and Sodium Chloride both sound plain, and one of them is table salt. Tocopherol sounds clinical, and it is vitamin E. The character count of an INCI name tells you precisely nothing about how it behaves on your skin.

If you are reading labels because you are trying to solve something specific, our complete skincare concerns guide is the better starting point than the back of a bottle.

Now that you know what the names are, the next question is what their position on the list tells you.

The order is deliberate: highest to lowest

Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration. The ingredient present in the greatest amount comes first, and every ingredient after it is present in the same amount or less. This is not a stylistic convention. Article 19(1)(g) of the cosmetics regulation states that the list “shall be established in descending order of weight of the ingredients at the time they are added to the cosmetic product”.

We are being emphatic about this because an earlier version of this article got it wrong, and an inverted definition on a page whose entire job is to teach label reading is not something to quietly patch. Highest first. Lowest last. That is the rule.

Once you know that, the top of the list starts doing real work for you.

This is also why water is almost always the first ingredient in a serum, a cleanser or a moisturiser. Water is the base the formula is built in, the medium that everything else is dissolved or suspended into. Seeing Aqua in position one is not evidence of a watered-down product. It is evidence of a normal one. Anhydrous formulas such as balms and oils are the exception, and their lists open with oils or butters instead.

The practical takeaway is this. If the ingredient you specifically bought the product for is sitting near the very end of a long list, it is present in a small amount. If it is in the top five, it is doing meaningful work in that formula. That single check, done in about four seconds, will tell you more about a product than most of the front of the pack.

The 1% line, and why the bottom of the list isn’t a ranking

Here is the rule that changes how you read every label from now on, and it is the fact most articles on this subject leave out entirely.

Once ingredients drop below 1% concentration, they may be listed in any order. The same clause that mandates descending order continues: “Ingredients in concentrations of less than 1 % may be listed in any order after those in concentrations of more than 1 %.”

The consequence is significant. The bottom third of most ingredients lists is not a ranking. An ingredient sitting second to last is not necessarily present in a smaller amount than the one above it. They are simply all under 1%, and the formulator can arrange them however they like. Reading positional meaning into that section of the list is reading something that was never written.

So how do you spot roughly where the 1% line falls? There are reliable markers. Certain ingredients are almost always used at or below 1%, and once you reach them you are generally past the line. Look for:

• Preservatives such as Phenoxyethanol
• Chelating agents such as Sodium Phytate or Disodium EDTA
• Gums and thickeners such as Xanthan Gum
• Citric Acid
• pH adjusters such as Sodium Phosphate and Disodium Phosphate

Spot two or three of those clustered together and you have found the approximate boundary. Everything below it is in no particular order.

We want to be straight with you about the limits of this technique. It is an informed estimate, not an exact science. Brands are not required to publish percentages, formulation ranges vary, and some ingredients that usually sit under 1% occasionally sit above it. You are reading a strong signal, not a specification sheet.

Which leads to the question people ask next: how do you actually find the percentage of an ingredient? Honestly, usually you cannot from the label alone. The information simply is not there. What you can do is read position, apply the 1% markers, and notice which brands volunteer the number. Brands that lead with percentages tend to put them in the product name or on the front of the pack, which is a deliberate transparency signal rather than a formatting quirk. We name the percentage on the front where it matters, which is why our 10% Niacinamide Serum is called exactly that. If you want to know what the ingredient itself does, our niacinamide guide covers it properly.

With both rules in hand, let us apply them to a real label you can go and check for yourself.

A real example: the 10% Niacinamide Serum, decoded

Theory is easy. Reading an actual list is where it gets useful. Here is the current, live INCI list for our 10% Niacinamide Serum, exactly as it appears on the pack:

Water (Aqua / Eau), Niacinamide, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phospholipids, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Allantoin, Sodium Phytate, Polysorbate 60, Panthenol, Glycolipids, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Sterols, Citric Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate.

Twenty-four ingredients. Let us walk it in groups, by what each part of the list is doing.

The top of the list. Water first, as expected, because it is the base. Then Niacinamide in position two. That placement is the whole story of this product in a single data point. The active is second only to water, which tells you immediately it is present in a meaningful amount and doing the heavy lifting. Glycerin, Propanediol and Butylene Glycol follow, working as humectants and texture ingredients that hold water in the formula and on the skin.

The middle. This is structure and stability. The Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, which is easily the most intimidating string on the label, is a thickener. So is Hydroxyethylcellulose. Between them they create the light, slightly cushioned texture the serum has. Phenoxyethanol is the preservative, and it is there so the product stays safe to use for as long as you have it open. Preservatives get an unfairly bad reputation for something whose job is stopping microbial growth in a bottle you touch with your fingers.

The supporting cast. Squalane, Allantoin and Panthenol are comfort and soothing ingredients. Glycolipids and Phospholipids support the skin barrier. Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil and Sterols add conditioning, and there is the Latin binomial rule from earlier doing its job again, with the common name helpfully in brackets.

Past the 1% line. Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate and Sodium Phosphate are pH adjusters. Sodium Phytate is the chelating agent. Recognise that cluster? That is the marker set from the previous section, telling you where the ranking stopped.

What the position of Hyaluronic Acid actually tells you

Now for the observation that contains the entire lesson.

Hyaluronic Acid sits near the very bottom of that list, in position twenty-two of twenty-four. That does not make it pointless. Hyaluronic acid is effective at low concentrations and it is contributing hydration here. But it does tell you something honest and specific about what this product is. This is a niacinamide serum with a hydration assist. It is not a hyaluronic acid product.

If deep, dedicated hydration is your primary goal, the better tool is a formula built around it, such as our Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and our hyaluronic acid guide explains why concentration and molecular weight both matter there. Being able to make that call yourself, from the label, without asking anyone, is exactly what label literacy buys you.

The vegan question, and why the label is the only place the answer lives

Here is the detail we could easily leave out of this article, and will not.

The 10% Niacinamide Serum is not vegan. The Phospholipids in it are egg derived.

You could not guess that from the product name. You could not guess it from the front of the pack. You certainly could not guess it from niacinamide, the ingredient the product is famous for, which has nothing to do with it. The only place that answer exists is the INCI list, sitting quietly in position nine.

If being vegan matters to you, the label is the only place that answer lives, and we would rather tell you plainly than let you assume. Every INKEY product is Leaping Bunny certified, which is a genuine commitment and an audited one. But Leaping Bunny certification answers a question about animal testing. It does not answer a question about animal derived ingredients. Those are two different certifications answering two different questions, and we will come back to that distinction in a moment, because it catches a lot of people out.

That is what an ingredients list is for. Not to reassure you, but to inform you.

Older ingredient names are all decodable with the rules you now have. But labels have started carrying a new generation of names that look considerably more intimidating.

Decoding the new generation of ingredient names

Skincare labels have changed since 2021. New ingredient technologies bring new INCI names with them, and several of the ones now appearing look alarming purely because they are unfamiliar. Here is what they actually say, in plain English. Where you want the full story on what an ingredient does, we have linked the dedicated guide rather than half-explaining it here.

Exosomes. On a label you may see these described alongside Centella Asiatica, the plant they are derived from. Ours are 1% plant derived Cica Exosomes from Centella Asiatica, which is the Latin binomial rule from the start of this guide doing exactly what it is supposed to do. Our guide to exosomes covers the science, and you will find them in the Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex.

PDRN. The full INCI name is Polydeoxyribonucleotide, which is genuinely one of the more intimidating strings you will find on any label. PDRN is simply the abbreviation, and it is the same ingredient. Read more in our PDRN guideor see it in the PDRN Serum.

Ectoin. Short, unfamiliar, and frequently assumed to be something synthetic and harsh. It is neither. Our ectoin guideexplains what it is, and it appears in the Ectoin HydroBarrier Serum.

Ceramide NP. This one is a genuinely useful decoding tip. Ceramides rarely appear on a label as the word “ceramides”. They appear as codes such as Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP or Ceramide EOP. If you were told a product contained ceramides and could not find them on the list, this is why. Our ceramides guide has the detail, and the Bio-Active Ceramide Moisturiser is where ours live.

Peptides. Peptides almost never appear as the word “peptide” either. They show up as names like Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, or under trade names that give no clue at all. Kollaren, which you will see on our packaging, is a peptide. Our peptides guide unpacks the naming.

What is actually in the Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex

Since exosomes are the name generating the most label confusion right now, here is the composition of ours, stated plainly: 1% plant derived Cica Exosomes from Centella Asiatica, 1% Hyaluronic Acid, 1% Ectoin, 1% Kollaren peptide, Prickly Pear Extract and Q10 (Ubiquinone). It is fragrance free and alcohol free, Vegan Society certified, and suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin, and for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. It was a CEW UK Beauty Awards Winner in 2026.

On performance, we will quote only what has been tested:

• 100% saw more glowing skin, clinically proven*
• Clinic worthy rejuvenated skin in 14 days*
• 6-in-1 skin rejuvenation: clinically proven to visibly improve radiance, hydration, tone, firmness, elasticity, and texture*
• Proven to deliver up to 12-hours of hydration**
• 55% reduction in visible signs of skin stress (redness, puffiness, visible irritation)*
• 63% increase in skin renewal activity in 8 hours*
• Helps support natural collagen production

4-week clinical study of 26 people
Clinical study of 31 people In-vitro testing of Cica Exosomes showed a 55% reduction in pro-inflammatory markers and a 63% increase in markers associated with skin renewal after 8 hours.

If you are the kind of label reader who arrived here because you are sceptical of a category full of noise, good. Read 5 exosome skincare myths debunked next, and if you are now seeing both names on shelves and want the difference, we compared PDRN vs exosomes directly.

The ingredients list is only half of what your packaging is telling you. The symbols around it carry the rest.

What the symbols on the packaging mean

Almost nobody explains these, so here they are, one at a time.

The open jar symbol, or Period After Opening. A small open jar marked 6M, 12M or 24M tells you how many months the product stays at its best after you first open it. This is not the same as an expiry date. Under Article 19(1)(c) of the cosmetics regulation, a product with a minimum durability of 30 months or less must carry a date of minimum durability, and a product whose durability exceeds 30 months carries a PAO symbol instead. The logic is that a product’s clock effectively restarts the moment air, water and fingers get involved. An unopened product and an opened one are two different situations.

Recycling marks. These indicate what material the packaging is made from and how it should be sorted. The practical catch is that recyclability often depends on separating components, because pumps, droppers and caps are frequently a different material from the bottle. Pulling them apart before recycling makes a real difference. We wrote up the specifics in how to recycle the INKEY way.

The Leaping Bunny. This certifies that no animal testing has been carried out on the finished product or its ingredients after the company’s fixed cut-off date, verified through the supply chain and audited. Leaping Bunny is the internationally recognised standard for cruelty free, and every INKEY product carries it.

The Vegan Society mark. This is the one people conflate with the Leaping Bunny, and they are not the same. The Vegan Society Trademark certifies that a product contains no animal derived ingredients or by-products, as well as no animal testing. Leaping Bunny certification, by contrast, does not assess whether ingredients are animal derived at all. That is precisely how our 10% Niacinamide Serum can be Leaping Bunny certified while its egg derived Phospholipids keep it off the vegan list. Two certifications, two questions. The Exosome Hydro-Glow Complex is Vegan Society certified.

Batch codes and PAO in practice. The batch code is a manufacturing identifier, useful mainly if a product needs to be traced. More practically: the PAO symbol only works if you know when you opened it. Writing the month on the bottom of the bottle with a marker takes three seconds and removes the guesswork entirely.

You can now decode the whole label. So let us turn to the question you probably arrived with, which is what you should personally be looking for.

Ingredients to look for, by skin type

Reading a label is a skill. Knowing what you are scanning for is the other half. Here is the short version, with the full guidance linked rather than repeated.

Dehydrated skin. Scan for Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin and Ectoin near the top of the list. Dehydration is a water issue rather than an oil issue, which is why it can affect any skin type. Start with what is dehydrated skin.

Oily and breakout prone skin. Scan for Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid and zinc compounds such as Zinc PCA. Position matters here, since an exfoliating acid sitting below the 1% line is a very different proposition from one in the top five. More in our guide to oily skin.

Sensitive skin. Scan for Colloidal Oatmeal, Allantoin, ceramides and Panthenol, and check whether Parfum or Fragrance appears. Our sensitive skin guide goes deeper.

Not sure which you are? Most people are working from an assumption made years ago. How to know your skin typewill settle it in a few minutes.

What to think twice about: a balanced, science-led view

Plenty of articles hand you a list of ingredients to fear. We would rather hand you the reasoning, because “avoid this” is useless the moment you meet a formula the list did not anticipate.

Fragrance. Appears as Parfum or Fragrance. It is not inherently harmful, and it is used because sensory experience genuinely affects whether people stick with a routine. Two honest caveats: it is one of the more common triggers for reactive skin, and because it can represent a blend, you cannot see the individual components from the label. Reasonable to avoid if your skin is sensitive. Reasonable to keep if it is not.

Sulphates. Effective cleansing agents that can feel stripping at high concentrations for some people, particularly on dry or compromised skin. Others use them daily with no issue at all. This is a skin type and preference question, not a villain.

Alcohol. This is where most guidance goes wrong, so it is worth the extra sentence. Simple alcohols such as Alcohol Denat behave very differently from fatty alcohols such as Cetearyl Alcohol or Cetyl Alcohol, which are emollients that soften skin and stabilise formulas. Seeing the word “alcohol” on a list tells you almost nothing on its own. You have to read which one.

Parabens. These appear as methylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben. They are among the most extensively studied preservatives in cosmetics, and their use is regulated with defined permitted concentrations. Plenty of people prefer to avoid them, which is a perfectly valid personal choice. What we would not do is present that preference as settled science, because the evidence does not support the alarm the internet attaches to them.

Ingredients that shouldn’t be layered together

Some combinations reduce each other’s effectiveness, and some simply increase the odds of irritation when used at the same time. It is less about danger and more about sequencing. Start with skincare ingredients you should not mix, and if retinol is in your routine, what not to mix with retinol is the specific version, with the fuller picture in our retinol and vitamin C guides.

Two practical additions. Patch test anything new, because it costs you 24 hours and can save you a fortnight, and here is why. And if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, label reading stops being an interesting skill and becomes genuinely necessary, so use your guide to pregnancy safe skincare and speak to your doctor. If you have recently introduced an active and your skin is behaving strangely, what is skin purging will help you work out whether to persist or stop.

The short version

You can now read an INCI list properly. You know the order runs highest to lowest, you know where the 1% line makes that order meaningless, you can decode Latin binomials and the newer ingredient names, and you can read the symbols around the list as well as the list itself.

You do not need more skincare. You need clarity you can trust. That is why we name percentages on the front of the pack, publish full ingredient lists, and tell you when one of our own products will not suit you. Label reading should not require detective work.

Because at The INKEY List, We Give A Care.

Two places to go next. If a name on a label still has you stuck, askINKEY is our free 24/7 live chat with real skincare experts, and no question is too small. And if you can now read a label but are not certain what your skin actually needs, the Skincare Quiz will build you a personalised routine in a few minutes, with the Bundle Builder ready when you want to put it together.