Speed Dial: What Ingredient Lists Tell You

but mostly what they don't

Hello and happy Wednesday pals!

Below you’ll find today’s question, a quick ask from me & a product review from one of our community members. Let’s dive in.

I always see derms and estheticians saying ingredient lists aren’t a good way to evaluate a product, but obviously it’s important to know what you’re putting on your skin, so can you explain what they mean? When would an ingredient list not be helpful?

If you look at the ingredients on a bag of chips, you’ll be able to identify the main components (potatoes, salt) and any allergens, but you have no way of knowing how the chips were actually made. You can’t be sure of the crunch or the finger residue without trying first. It’s the same with skincare – an ingredient list tells you what’s inside, but it doesn’t tell you the concentration or amount of product used, the purpose of each ingredient, how it was formulated or how it will feel.

What they mean is that ingredient lists do not paint a full picture of the product and most of the information you’re actually looking for can be found elsewhere, in much more understandable terms. Yes, it is obviously important to know what you’re putting on your skin, but there’s only so much you can do with just the names of an ingredient. Looking just at an ingredient list can be unhelpful when it causes consumers to make assumptions about the purpose or safety of a product/ingredient just because they see it listed.