Face care – ingredient lists and INCI analysis

Face care covers everything applied to facial skin between cleansing and the last layer of the routine. In this group you will find micellar waters, face cleansers, scrubs and peels, toners and essences, serums, face oils, masks, eye creams and day, night and all-purpose face creams. Rinse-off and leave-on products are formulated differently, so it helps to know which kind you are looking at before comparing labels.

Many face care formulas share a common backbone: WATER (AQUA) as the base, humectants such as GLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL or SODIUM HYALURONATE, emollients like CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE or SQUALANE, and emulsifiers or thickeners such as CETEARYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE or CARBOMER. Around that backbone sit the ingredients that give each product its character, for example NIACINAMIDE, plant extracts, acids or vitamins.

On an EU label, ingredients present above 1% appear in descending order of weight; below that threshold the order is free. Preservatives must come from Annex V of the Cosmetics Regulation, colourants are listed by CI number, and nanomaterials carry the word [nano]. Fragrance appears as PARFUM, with specified allergens named separately when they exceed set concentrations.