Hello Pomponnette,
 
Full of good intentions, do you want to consume better? In theory, it's easy, but in practice, it's not practical. To know what's in your cosmetic product before buying it, you need to look at the INCI list - that is, the list of ingredients -.

And so that simply reading the INCI list - written in tiny print - doesn't give you more wrinkles than your cream could remove, we're here to help you decipher it - and if you have a magnifying glass handy, grab it! -.

 

The INCI list, what is it?

Why INCI? - and no, it wasn't Jean-Michel INCI who created it... - INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. This nomenclature has been mandatory on cosmetic products since 1999, either on the secondary packaging - basically, the boxes - or on the brand's website... it's definitely somewhere!

Its purpose is both to list the ingredients present in the product and to be understood worldwide. Chemical active ingredients are written in English and natural products in Latin - ah, we're being told in the earpiece that you didn't study Latin - it's okay, we're here to help you, Pomponnette!

The problem with this INCI list is that...not many people understand it... - And yes, "Hydrogenated castor oil" is not castor oil but indeed...hydrogenated castor oil -.

  

One watchword...

The ingredients in your cosmetic are listed in decreasing order of concentration: if the first on the INCI list is "AQUA WATER", it means that the main ingredient is water. To give you an idea, the first 6 listed ingredients represent more than 70% of the total product.

Well, as they say, the exception proves the rule: below 1%, components can be presented in any order. These are the ones found at the end of the INCI list. So if the last on the INCI list is "AQUA WATER", what does that mean? - warning warning...there's a trick! - well, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the least dosed, but that it's one of the minor ingredients in the formula! And between us, that never happens because the main component of creams is often water - No, but hello! -.
  

With these suffixes, we have fixed ideas!

 We have a few mnemonic devices to help you decipher the INCI list of your cosmetics:

• Suffixes –icone or –siloxane can notably identify SILICONES. Derived from silicon, most silicones are not very degradable and therefore harmful to the environment. They can be found in deodorants, foundations, lipsticks, shampoos,... Although silicones provide a very soft finish on the skin, some have the disadvantage of clogging skin pores, hence their comedogenic action - it's not Latin, but we'll translate anyway: promotes the appearance of pimples! -.

• The initials PEG (= polyethylene glycol) - attention southerners, like Agathe, that doesn't mean it sticks - or PPG (= polypropylene glycol) as well as the suffix –eth allow to detect ethoxylated components. These are petroleum derivatives, obtained by ethoxylation, a process involving ethylene oxide - a gas not great for our health -. They are often followed by a number that will define their activity. The smaller the number, the deeper it penetrates the skin, so be careful because if your skin is fragile or damaged, they could cause irritation.

So, as a precaution, we prefer to say that it's enough with the ingredients above! You can also consult Pomponne makeup's never list of ingredients here.
  

For plants, back to Latin class... Carpe Diem 

To recognize plants, we become bilingual, half-Latin, half-English - no more erratum? -.
As soon as there's Latin, it's to designate a plant, so get ready for -um, -thus, and other Latin endings!

For botanical extracts, the INCI designation breaks down as follows:
Botanical name of the plant (in Latin) sometimes followed in parentheses by its common English name + part of the plant (in English - yes sir : leaf for leaves, flower for flowers, peel for bark, seed for seeds or kernel for pit) + form/nature of the extract - in English again, let's go back to reviewing textures - : oil for oil, extract for extract).

A concrete example: Helianthus annuus seed oil =... - come on, you can do it! - sunflower seed oil!

 

We see all the colors

Colorants, whether natural or not, are always annotated with CI which stands for Colour Index. After that, it's not easy to decipher a natural colorant from another... The only one to know how to recognize, in our opinion, is CI 75470, which is the number for carmine red colorant.

You know, it's the one that comes from female cochineal insects, those tiny insects that are crushed to obtain this carmine red dye, used in some lipsticks (and it takes 70,000 female cochineal insects to produce 500g of dye!!!)... Yes, we know, it's disgusting. - both the act of killing insects, and applying them to your lips, yuck! -.

Do you want us to bring a smile back to your face? There are, of course, alternatives to this red pigment, so be sure to know how to spot it on the INCI list - reminder: CI 75470 is not the zip code for Beverly Hills, but to remember it: 75 = PARIS, 47 = France Gall's birth year, 0 = the score we give it out of 20! -.

 

WITHOUT a shirt, WITHOUT pants

Pomponne News: Since July 1, 2019, brands are no longer allowed to say paraben-free, silicone-free, etc. The European Commission noted that there were a huge number of "free-from" claims, and that in their opinion, this was detrimental to brands that use these ingredients, as they are authorized and considered safe. - Nevertheless, as there are suspicions, we prefer to avoid them, as you can see in our never list! -.

There are several lists of preservatives/colorants/UV filters: the positive list, the prohibited list, and the restricted list. As soon as a component is on the positive list, and thus authorized, brands will no longer have the right to specify in their communication that formulas are formulated WITHOUT these components. Just as is already the case with prohibited components.

So, if you no longer see the mention "PARABEN-FREE" on your favorite product, don't worry: the formula is probably not changed, it's just that the brand has followed the law!
To be sure, you can check for its absence in the INCI list - now you know how to decipher it! -

So, Pomponnette, do you feel ready to decipher the INCI lists of your cosmetics? Tell us in the comments if you've found any not-so-great ingredients in your makeup bag...

Now you know everything, and you can buy your products with peace of mind. If you need a little help, feel free to use product scanning apps; they'll help you decipher the composition (but be careful, as they have limitations: they don't take into account particle size, dosage, or the natural or synthetic origin of certain active ingredients...) - nobody's perfect! -.

If you want to practice, you can check out the INCI list for our natural lash-boosting mascara here, and for our natural & hydrating lipstick here ;)

 

A smile feels good, let's spread the Smile Power,
Agathe & Charline