DECODING BEAUTY
Cosmetic chemist and founder of Synergie Skin, Terri Vinson is a veritable wealth of knowledge when it comes to beauty industry wisdom. Here she provides the keys to interpreting the labels of beauty products.
Cosmetic chemist and founder of Synergie Skin, Terri Vinson is a veritable wealth of beauty industry wisdom.
WHAT WILL YOU FIND ON A LABEL?
Labels are jam-packed with information. Most of it is extremely useful, and must be included by labelling law, but there’s some ‘white noise’ too. Hopefully this guide will help you decode your labels more effectively.
A product label must include:
• the company logo
• the product name
• a tagline (usually a concise description)
• a full ingredient list with INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names in descending order
• the size/net contents
• the name of the manufacturer and/or distributor
• the expiry date or time to use from when you open the product – If you see a symbol with a lid above a jar with a number followed by an ‘M’, it tells you how long in months the product is okay to use after opening.
– The expiry date is the date when the product is no longer fit for use. This is particularly relevant to eye products as you can get a nasty infection by using an expired mascara, for example!
Some labels also include:
Product Claims
‘Free of’. What companies leave out of their products is often as important to the consumer as what they include. Because clean science is so important to me as a scientist and a woman who’s committed to health, there are numerous ingredients I classify as ‘nasties’, but the decision to purchase products that are ‘free of’ certain ingredients is ultimately a personal one, and yours alone. I have my opinion on certain ingredients and their safety profile, and while many other companies sometimes promote selling by fear, I prefer to simply choose the safest options that have minimal negative impact on human health.
Typical ‘free of’ claims include:
• SLS/sodium laureth sulphate (SLES)
• FD&C dyes
• phthalates
• sulphates
• formaldehyde
• parabens
• PEGs
• silicones
• oxybenzone sunscreen
I choose not to formulate with the above ingredients.
Skincare Symbols Deciphered
• Hypoallergenic or dermatologist tested. Any good formulator will always create products with the lowest irritancy profile, but we can never guarantee that nobody will react to a product or ingredient. There will always be individuals who will react negatively to a certain ingredient when 99.9 per cent of the population won’t.
So when a product is touted as hypoallergenic or dermatologically tested, don’t be fooled… it doesn’t give you a guarantee – nor does it mean it’s endorsed by a dermatologist!
Decoding the Ingredients
If you’re not up for a serious dose of nerdiness, please go and make a cuppa... no, please come back! This is really important information.
All skincare products should have a full ingredient list either on the product itself or inside the packaging. Now to decode it. There’s an urban myth that if it can’t easily be pronounced, chances are it’s harmful. This is rubbish! D-alpha tocopherol, for example, sounds very complicated but it’s really just good-old vitamin E! When you read any accurate ingredient list it will state all ingredients in INCI. This is what’s legally required to be stated on labels. Many products have trademarked or buzzword ingredient names created by a marketing department, but they should not be found on your product’s labels without being accompanied by the official INCI name. The INCI name ingredient list can seem very sciencey and overwhelming at first, but bear with me – it’ll all become clear soon. For example, a common variety of lavender essential oil should be listed as ‘Lavendula Angustifolia Oil’, but some companies will also add the word ‘lavender’ in brackets to help the consumer recognise the ingredient more readily.
The Order of Ingredients
All ingredients on your label must be listed in order of highest to lowest dosage. Water will usually be the first ingredient, as serums and emulsions nearly always need water as the main ingredient, so don’t think you’re being duped by the cosmetic company. As you progress down the ingredient list, the dosage of ingredients becomes lower and lower, which is important to note.
Let’s consider the addition of acids and alcohols. Some acids – such as lactic, malic and mandelic acid – are added in significant doses (sometimes at 10 per cent or more) to act as active exfoliants on the skin. But acids such as citric acid may also be needed in very small amounts to adjust the pH of the formula and make it more skin friendly.
“THIS WILL HELP YOU DECODE YOUR LABELS MORE EFFECTIVELY.”
Alcohol is another good example. I often use a small amount of alcohol (under 3 per cent, which is not drying to the skin) to dissolve another ingredient in the formula.
When you get down to the ingredients that are included in the product at 1 per cent or lower, they can be listed in any order – and this is where it can get misleading. For example, an active ingredient to reduce the appearance of wrinkles may be needed in a formula, according to clinical data, at a dosage of 3 per cent to create the desired result. Some companies may just add it in at a 0.5 per cent dosage to say it’s in there for marketing, and position it at the top of the 1 per cent or less group of ingredients so it appears to have a higher dosage. Sneaky!
The best way to decode your ingredients list is to use the website ewg.org. It gives a safety profile rating of any ingredient you put in the search engine, so you can be empowered to make your own decisions on which products you buy. It’s a good general reference to help you keep your bathroom cabinet as free of nasties as possible. A lot of skincare companies don’t like this website because it highlights the toxicity of their products, but I think it’s a fantastic resource for the general public to learn about the ingredients in their skincare products. Search for an ingredient, then click on the image of its chemical makeup to read all about it. Also, remember that you need to look at percentages on labels. Bear in mind that some ingredients, while harmful in high doses, are harmless when used in tiny doses. Sodium hydroxide, alcohol and lactic acid are good examples of this. As mentioned previously, sometimes they’re needed in minute quantities (less than 0.5 per cent) to adjust pH or make another ingredient dissolve.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN MOISTURISERS?
As well as product ingredients needed for skin health, there are other ingredients (called excipient ingredients) which make the product elegant, function properly and not break down or become contaminated. These include:
SOLUBILISERS
Used to make some ingredients dissolve in others, usually oils in water. They’re usually found at the lower end of the product’s ingredient list. For example, polysorbate can be used to solubilise essential oils.
THICKENERS
Used to give elegance to a product and improve its consistency. They’re usually found in the middle to upper third section of the ingredient list.
I like to use naturally derived thickeners such as xanthan gum, hydroxyethyl cellulose and guar gum. Synthetic thickeners are very popular and carbomer is a clean, safe synthetic alternative. Mineral thickeners aren’t as common, but can also be used to absorb water and oil in the formula. Examples include silica and bentonite, which are often found in clay masks and makeup.
EMULSIFIERS
Fundamental in making a product containing oil and water stable so you don’t get a layer of oil sitting on top of your product. If I add oil to water in my products, no matter how much I mix and shake, they’ll keep separating unless I use an emulsifier to reduce the surface tension between the oil and water molecules. Science is so cool!
Emulsifiers are generally found in the middle of the ingredient list, and two or three emulsifiers are usually needed to make a lotion stable.
There are literally thousands of emulsifiers, with new ones presented to me by ingredient companies every month. I personally avoid emulsifier or solubiliser ingredients with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as there are cleaner alternatives I prefer to use. Some of my faves include cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate.
PRESERVATIVES
Essential in all products because they prevent the product from being contaminated by bacteria, mould, yeast and fungi, thus contributing to the shelf life and safety of a product.
If you see the claim ‘preservative free’, or if the preservative is being ‘hidden’ under another category or a name in the list, you should question the quality of the product. Don’t be fooled, grapefruit seed extract and essential oils may be okay at boosting the preservative activity of a product, but they’re not strong enough to be used as a standalone preservative.
Preservatives are generally used at a dosage of 1 per cent or less so they’ll appear at the lower end of the ingredient list, but some need to be as high as 5 per cent.
Preservatives have come under scrutiny recently and there are numerous preservatives I choose not to formulate with. Selecting a preservative can be challenging because many are very sensitive to the pH of the formula and can also be reactive with other ingredients. A combination of preservatives is often needed to provide the best level of protection of the product. My favourite preservatives with a good safety profile include:
– benzoic acid and its salts (for example, sodium benzoate) – benzyl alcohol
– dehydroacetic acid and its salts – sorbic acids/potassium sorbate – caprylyl glycol – ethylpropanediol – phenylpropanol.
Here is a list of preservatives that I don’t use in my lab due to their less than favourable rap in our industry:
– parabens: propylparaben, methylparaben, butylparaben,
“BEWARE, ESSENTIAL OILS CAN BE IRRITATING.”
ethylparaben, isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben
– DMDM hydantoin
– BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
– triclosan – methylisothiazolinone (MIT) – bronopol (2-Bromo-2Nitropropane-1, 3-diol) – urea-based preservatives: imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.
FRAGRANCE
Can include thousands of chemicals, most of them unpronounceable! And when I say chemicals, I mean that even natural essential oils contain ‘chemicals’. Everything is technically a chemical, even all the natural stuff.
I prefer to avoid synthetic fragrances not derived from plants in my formulas because many contain allergens and phthalates to make the fragrance last longer. Phthalates (or diethyl phthalate) have been linked to hormonal disruption and are banned in some regions. Artificial fragrance is generally a concentrated ingredient or group of ingredients, and will usually be found low down on the ingredient list. Often the word ‘parfum’ or ‘fragrance’ will indicate that the fragrance is artificial and not naturally derived. Fragrance in skincare is considered the number one potential irritant or allergen, so ‘fragrance free’ is the best option if you’re highly sensitive or allergy prone. Essential oils are naturally derived from plants and don’t have added phthalates. But beware – essential oils can be irritating unless the formulator really understands how to use them. The dosage is critical, and using over 4 per cent in a skincare product can be risky. There are also some essential oils, like bergamot, that can react with sunlight and cause skin reactions (bergamot needs to be free of the chemical bergaptene to avoid this reaction). Some essential oils also need to be avoided if you have highly sensitive skin or are pregnant.
Other essential oils, like lavender, are anti-inflammatory and help reduce irritation if used at the correct dosage, and rosemary essential oil is a great natural fragrance which also acts as an antioxidant to stop the oils in the product going off. Essential oils will usually appear in the lower third of an ingredient list as they should generally be added at less than 5 per cent.
ANTIOXIDANTS
Prevent free radical damage. I use antioxidants for two functions in my formulas:
– as active ingredients to fight free radicals in the skin. Vitamin C, green tea, lycopene, CoQ10 and alpha lipoic acid are the top five skin antioxidants that I formulate with for great skin benefits (when added at the correct dosages).
Dosages of different antioxidants vary so they can appear anywhere on the list, but generally shouldn’t be within the bottom 10 per cent of the ingredient list.
– to help keep my formula stable, because added antioxidants stop the oils, butters, and waxes from going rancid (and I try to use stable oils with a longer shelf life as well). One of the best examples of a common antioxidant used to stop oils going off is vitamin E (aka D-alpha tocopherol, tocopherol or tocopherol acetate). This will usually appear in the lower third of the ingredient list. Many companies tout vitamin E as being an active antioxidant ingredient for the skin in their formula, when it’s only present at around 1 per cent to stabilise the oils. It’s all marketing spin!
HUMECTANTS
A fancy word for hydrating agents. Humectants are water-loving ingredients that attract moisture into the skin like a magnet. They can either draw water from the lower layers of the skin (the dermis) to the upper layers (the epidermis) or draw water from the skincare product or the atmosphere into the skin to improve hydration. When the top of the skin is more hydrated, there’s less flaking and cracking and the skin looks more luminous. Hydration also helps to keep the barrier nice and strong so it’s better protected from harsh environmental extremes.
Most humectants, with the exception of hyaluronic acid, which is usually needed in smaller doses, will usually be found in the top third of the ingredient list.
My favourite humectants are glycerin, betaine, sodium PCA, sodium lactate, sorbitol, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and lactic acid.
I don’t formulate with propylene glycol (because it has been linked to skin sensitivity, and it also increases the ability of the skin to absorb other ingredients, which may be undesirable) or PEG (polyethylene glycol).
PEG is also a penetration enhancer, and there have been reports of PEG containing potentially harmful impurities. Again, don’t freak out – the problem isn’t single exposure to these questionable ingredients, it’s repeated long-term exposure.
EMOLLIENTS
All the yummy oils and butters that I love to add to my lotions, moisturisers and balms because they help moisturise, smooth and lubricate the skin. Unlike humectants, which attract water, emollients moisturise by filling in the gap between dead skin
cells that are missing their own oils. This softens the skin and helps prevent the loss of water from the skin surface. Occlusives are a type of emollient that helps form a protective barrier on the skin surface to prevent water escaping.
Depending on the type of emulsion, oils and waxes can appear high on the list or in the lower third. Thick balms and body butters have oils and waxes in the top third of the list, and some balms may be 100 per cent oil based. Lighter lotions and milks have more water and a lot less oil so the emollients will appear lower down.
The list of oils and butter to choose from is almost endless! Examples of emollients include: – plant oils and waxes (fun fact: jojoba oil is really a liquid wax!) – animal oils (vegans and cruelty-free advocates must look out for these on the labels)
– shea butter.
Don’t be scared off by long chemical names like triglyceride, myristate, palmitate or stearate – many of these emollients are great for the skin and provide great moisturisation.
Here are some examples of thicker occlusive emollients mainly used for barrier healing and dry skin because they create a layer on the skin surface to prevent moisture loss and the entry of many nasties like pollution, grime and some microbes:
– petroleum jelly/petrolatum/ mineral oil (I prefer not to use petroleum-based ingredients. Petroleum products offer no cosmeceutical benefit to the skin and they may contain traces of undesirable contaminants if the ingredient has not been refined properly)
– beeswax
– lanolin (this ingredient is both an occlusive emollient and a humectant)
– vegetable waxes (candelilla, carnauba)
– castor oil (I love this one, which contains ricinoleic acid, great for reducing inflammation).
COLOUR PIGMENT
A very popular additive to many skincare products, though usually not needed for performance. In makeup, however, this is a totally different story. For simplicity’s sake, let’s cover the three broad categories of colour:
– artificial FD&C or D&C colours (also referred to as ‘lake’ pigments). These pigments are derived from coal tar, which is a by-product of petroleum refining. The FDA has passed FD&C dyes as safe to use in cosmetics, but I prefer the overall safety profile of mineral pigments. There’s evidence linking some FD&C dyes to cancer, and there are tight regulations as to the amount of toxins they contain. – naturally derived mineral pigments. These form the foundation of mineral makeup (pun intended). Mineral pigments include:
– iron oxides: I love using these as they also protect the skin from UV and blue light damage (at the right dosage)
– zinc oxide and titanium dioxide: they offer both UVA and UVB protection while producing a natural white pigment for makeup
– mica: these come in a huge variety of grades and colours, and I love this natural mineral pigment because of its ability to reflect light, camouflage flaws and provide pigment without artificial dyes.
– manganese (purple) – chromium oxide (green) – ultramarine (blue).
Mineral pigments may not have the huge colour palette of the artificial FD&C colours, but they have more staying power and are more resistant to heat and light.
NATURAL COLOURS
These are usually plant based and include beer (red/purple), sweet potato extract (red), chlorophyll (green) and turmeric (yellow). FD&C colours are highly concentrated and will usually appear on the bottom of the ingredient list. Minerals like zinc oxide and mica are usually needed in higher quantities, so they will appear in the top half of the ingredient list. For example, zinc oxide may appear at the top of the ingredient list in mineral foundation and sunscreen (it’s the white base).
Iron oxides (e.g. red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, brown iron oxide) are used to create the deeper colours and skin tones and will usually appear in the bottom third of the list.
Natural pigments can appear anywhere on the list, but are usually in the lower 20 per cent.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Tricky to categorise because actives can be present anywhere on the ingredient list. These are the ingredients that really make a difference to the skin: the vitamins, peptides, marine actives, botanical actives… the list goes on.
The crucial thing here is whether the formulator is using the correct dosage of the active to make the desired change in the skin according to the clinical tests and data provided by the ingredient supplier. Again, just adding a whiff for marketing claims is not what we scientists are about. We aim to make a difference, and use the dosage to do just that!