Beauty Products - How To Read Labels
By Jane Christie
Have you ever tried to read the back of a bottle of shampoo to find out what's in the shampoo? And did you get confused?
I would guess that most of you would answer "yes" and that it would be the same story for any personal care product. Most likely, you'll see several ingredient names that look very "chemical". Consequently, you may not have a clue as to what they are, how much there is or what their function is in the product, or what effect, good or bad, they may have on your skin and body.
Beauty Product ingredient labels are not put there to educate us. They only exist to comply with government legislation, but we can still learn from them.
Here are some basic tips about how to decipher the information supplied on personal care packaging so that you can make a more informed purchase decision.
While regulations vary from country to country regarding labeling on personal care products, most countries have legislation enforcing the full disclosure of all ingredients in a product, starting with the highest amount and progressing to the lowest by volume or mass.
Some countries require the full chemical name of each ingredient (INCI name). Other nations may allow the trade name to be used. Some require the botanical name of herbal extracts and others will allow just the common name to be used.
So it is worth checking what the legislation is, regarding labeling of products in your country.
This may sound a bit daunting, but a quick search of the relevant government website is usually all it takes, or a phone call to the relevant government department.
Unlikely as it may first seem, anyone can learn the fundamentals of understanding labels on personal care and beauty products. Even knowing a little more about those mystifying labels, will simplify your choices about what to buy.
Usually the first three ingredients listed make up the bulk of the product. Quite often you will see "water" as the first ingredient listed. Water is a great carrier for other active ingredients and reduces the strength of other ingredients so that they will not be too harsh on the skin or hair.
If it is a foaming product such as a shampoo, shower gel or bubble bath then surfactants are going to be high on the list of ingredients. There are different types of surfactants that have different functions in any beauty product. In this instance the surfactant is what gives the product its cleansing and foaming properties. Quite often there is more than one surfactant in a personal care product.
If you are looking at a moisturizer then the moisturizing ingredients and emulsifiers will be high on the list. A moisturizer can contain up to about 80% water.
Lower on the list you will find the ingredients that are added as mildness additives (ingredients that are used to counter some of the harshness of the primary active ingredients, particularly in foamy products); ingredients that will give the product a nice feel; therapeutic ingredients such as herbal extracts and aromatherapy oils; thickeners; fragrances; colors; and preservatives. Artificial colors and fragrances are usually listed as codes of letters and numbers. Quite often they are not listed at all.
This primer on the "how to read" part of labels puts you in a better position to decide whether the individual ingredients themselves are what you really want to place on your skin and hair. Making those choices is another task again, but you have taken the important first step.
A very handy guide to the safety and uses of ingredients is "The Chemical Maze" by Bill Statham
Jane Christie is the creator and owner of Sensa-skin. Unique handmade beauty products for when natural is not natural enough. Visit her website at http://www.sensa-skin.com
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