Every cosmetic product sold in the EU must list its ingredients using the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) system. This standardised naming system uses Latin botanical names and English chemical names.
Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration — the first ingredient makes up the largest percentage of the product, and the last makes up the smallest. However, ingredients present at less than 1% can be listed in any order after the 1% threshold.
This means the first 5-6 ingredients typically make up 80-90% of the product. If a ‘star ingredient’ is listed near the end, it’s probably present in tiny amounts — sometimes as little as 0.01%.
Common ingredients you’ll see at the top of most lists include water (Aqua), glycerin, various oils (like Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil = sunflower oil), and emulsifiers. Preservatives and fragrances are usually near the bottom because they’re effective at low concentrations.
Watch for ‘Parfum’ or ‘Fragrance’ — this single word can represent a blend of 10 to 200+ individual chemicals that don’t have to be disclosed. The EU requires 26 known allergens to be individually listed if they exceed certain concentrations, but many fragrance chemicals remain hidden.
Colorants are listed using CI (Colour Index) numbers (e.g., CI 77891 = titanium dioxide). These appear at the very end of the list, regardless of their concentration.
The EDScan app reads INCI lists and flags known or suspected endocrine disruptors, so you don’t need to memorise hundreds of chemical names.
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Scan any ingredient list with EDScan and see potential endocrine disruptors instantly.
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