How do you read a product ingredient list?
Short answer
An ingredient list is ordered from the most-present ingredient to the least. So the first item is the highest amount and the last ones the lowest. The first 5 ingredients define the product's real character; allergens and controversial ingredients are usually in the middle or at the end.
Order reflects amount
In both cosmetics and food, ingredients are listed in descending order by weight (a legal requirement). Water (aqua) is first in most cosmetics because there is the most of it. Whether an ingredient is near the top or bottom is the strongest clue about its effect in the product.
INCI in cosmetics, E-numbers in food
In cosmetics, ingredients use a shared international name called INCI (e.g. water=Aqua, glycerin=Glycerin, fragrance=Parfum). In food, additives appear by name or E-number (e.g. citric acid=E330). Thanks to these shared languages the same ingredient is written the same in every country, so we can recognize it when scanning.
What to look out for
Look at the first few ingredients (that is the product's core). Then scan for allergens and controversial items: fragrance, harsh detergents (SLS), drying alcohol, pore-clogging oils; in food, color dyes, sweeteners and added sugar. The further down an ingredient is listed, the smaller its effect usually is.
Related pages
Put what you learned to use
Scan the barcode of a product in your hand or take a photo of the ingredients; we analyse it for you.
Start scanningFrequently asked
Is the first-listed ingredient the highest?
Yes. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight; the first item is the most abundant in the product.
Why is fragrance written as one word?
'Parfum/Fragrance' represents a mix of dozens of scent molecules and can be written as one word; the EU requires dozens of known fragrance allergens to be listed separately above a threshold.
Is a shorter list always better?
Not necessarily. A short list often signals less processing, but a long list is not automatically 'bad'; what matters is which ingredients are present and in what amounts.
This page is for general information; it is not a substitute for medical/dietary advice. Personal suitability varies by skin type, allergies and health status.