For a flawless beauty and make-up routine, reading the INCI is so important! Here are some tips for training the eye.

Cosmetics, from make-up to skin care creams, are products of daily use that therefore constantly come into contact with our skin. For these reasons, it is necessary to be very careful when choosing these products, making sure to always select those that are free of certain inadvisable and critical substances, which are very often contained in cosmetics. Some because they are unsafe, others because they are highly allergenic and still others because they are not suitable for the most delicate individuals, such as children and pregnant women: here are the cosmetic ingredients to avoid and some tips for reading the INCI.

The label of a product can be considered its "identity card" because it contains all the information that can be useful to us as consumers: the ingredients, warnings, recommendations for use, but also information regarding the country of origin and the manufacturer.

What is INCI?

Let's start with the basics. What is meant by INCI?

INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients and is a code that is used to indicate the ingredients in a product.

According to the requirements of cosmetics regulations, the label of every product must list the ingredients contained in the cosmetic preceded by the word "ingredients."

The list does not follow a random order but the ingredients are listed in descending order taking into account their concentration. This means that the ingredients written first are present in the product composition in larger amounts, while those that follow are in smaller amounts. Finally, those ingredients that are present with an amount less than 1% may be listed in random order.

Another key aspect concerns the language used to name individual ingredients:

• Latin: is the language used to refer to all those substances included in the product formulation in purity, that is, without undergoing any chemical modification.
• English: is used to refer to ingredients that are the result of chemical synthesis
• French: never used, except for the word parfum.
• Number codes: identify the artificial dyes used within the product.

How to read the INCI of harmful ingredients

Every package marketed must mandatorily list the ingredients it contains, and it is good to learn how to read the INCI, however, so you can avoid harmful elements. Here is a recap of useful tips to make this easier for you:

• The first ingredients on the list (we repeat) are those contained in the product in larger quantities, and so those at the bottom of the list are present in smaller quantities.
• Plant-derived substances that have not undergone chemical processes are expressed through their Latin names, followed by their respective English translations.
• Those that have undergone a chemical process are written in English.
• Abbreviations beginning with C.I. indicate colorants (color index) and are followed by a 5-digit identifying number.
• Names ending in -thicone, -one, -ane, -siloxane, and -silanol refer to the silicones present.
• Petrolats are identified by the following names: Mineral Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum, Petrolatum, Propylene glycol, Isopropyl, Vaseline, Microcrystalline wax.

The most common ingredients to avoid

Among the many ingredients to avoid, the most common are:

• I parabens;
• The nickel;
• The others heavy metals.

All products signed Mesauda, in fact, are devoid of these elements. Our cosmetics comply with all the requirements of European cosmetic legislation and, in compliance with EU Regulation No. 1223/2009, do not contain heavy metals. Nickel, for example, is never used as a component in the production of cosmetics as it is banned by the European Community: in fact, it is not present in the ingredient lists of any of our products.

However, it may happen, however, that products classified as "Nickel tested" contain minimal percentages of Nickel due to the manufacturing process, but which are still lower than the maximum limit prescribed by law.