How to read skincare ingredients
Ever picked up a product, flipped it over and felt immediately confused? Same.
The writing is teeny tiny. There are words we can’t pronounce. We don’t know what most of the ingredients do.
Rest assured, all the ingredients in your products have passed safety checks for use in that category and that concentration. The Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) set concentration limits based on safety data before an ingredient can be used, so whether you can pronounce them or not, they’re safe – you’re safe.
Here’s a simple guide to help you read the ingredient list on your skincare products with confidence.
A note on regulation and consumer protection (so sexy)
In Australia, skincare developers can’t just print whatever they want on a label. They must follow national regulations that require:
- Ingredients to be listed using their official scientific (INCI) names
- Ingredients to appear in descending order by weight
- Certain allergens, colourants and preservatives to be clearly disclosed.
This is why you’ll see names like Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate instead of “Vitamin C.” It’s a standardised international naming system designed to create transparency and consistency across the industry.
These rules exist to protect you and your skin. We love that.
Product labels allow dermatologists, skin professionals and consumers to:
The ingredient list (my favourite part)
Turn any skincare product over and you’ll see what’s called the INCI list (the official ingredient list).
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. That means the first few ingredients make up most of the formula.
Often, the top five ingredients account for around 80–95% of what you’re putting on your skin.
That doesn’t automatically mean ingredients at the end of the list are ineffective. Some ingredients work beautifully at low percentages.
This information gives context to ingredient listings, and context is everything.
What to look for
Instead of trying to memorise 200 ingredients, focus on categories.
Active ingredients
These are ingredients that are proven to create a specific change in the skin, like:
- Vitamin C (Ascorb-): Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
- Retinoids (Retin-): Retinol, Retinal, Retinaldehyde, Retinyl Palmitate, Retinyl Acetate, Retinyl Propionate, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
- Vitamin E (Tocoph-): Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Tocopheryl Succinate
- Niacinamide: Niacinamide, Nicotinamide
- Vitamin B5 (Panthenol): Panthenol, Dexpanthenol
- Hyaluronic Acid (Hyaluron-): Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
- Salicylic Acid (BHA): Salicylic Acid, Beta Hydroxy Acid
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs): Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Tartaric Acid, Citric Acid, Malic Acid.
You don’t need to memorise these, but it can be helpful to recognise the patterns.
Supportive ingredients
Hydrators, emollients, stabilisers and soothing ingredients often make up the bulk of a formula.
They don’t always get the spotlight, but they’re what make a product feel elegant, absorb well and help maintain your skin barrier health.
Your skin responds best to balance. Active ingredients create change, but they need to sit within a formula that also cushions, hydrates and supports your skin. Without that balance, irritation becomes much more likely.
Potentially Irritating Ingredients
Some skin is more reactive to certain ingredients like fragrance, essential oils and high levels of denatured alcohol. They’re not ‘bad’ ingredients, but they’re not suitable to all skin types.
If your skin is dry, sensitive or reactive, where those ingredients sit within the INCI listing matters. Fragrance listed in the first few ingredients (high concentration) is very different to fragrance listed at the end (low concentration).
Again, context.
A gentle reality check
It’s really easy to fall into ingredient fear.
One TikToker tells you something is “toxic.” Another says it’s “life-changing.”
The truth is that skincare products need to be considered as a total formulation. Not individual villain or hero ingredients.
An ingredient can:
- Be brilliant at one percentage and irritating at another
- Be calming in one formula and destabilised in another
- Work beautifully for one skin type and not for another.
Understanding what’s in your products helps you choose skincare that aligns with your skin, your goals and your tolerance.
So, what next?
When you read an ingredient list, ask yourself:
- Do the first few ingredients support the product’s main claim?
- Are there actives that make sense for my concern?
- Is there enough barrier support to balance it?
- Does anything stand out that my skin doesn’t usually love?
You don’t need to decode every word.
You just need to understand the structure.
Once you understand the structure, labels stop feeling overwhelming and start becoming a genuinely useful tool when you’re making decisions about your skincare.
And if you’d rather not decode labels alone…
If you still find yourself wondering, “Is this actually right for my skin?”, skincare coaching and personalised guidance make all the difference.
I don’t just look at products. I scrutinise formulations, ingredient placement and percentages. I personally test and endorse products, so I understand how they feel and perform. And, I create personalised skincare programs based on how different formulations will interact on your skin.
The Great Skin Guide is a founder-led blog for honest, simple and fun skincare content. I hope you love reading it as much as I love writing it.
Tenille Hellier is the founder of It’s Tenille, an online personalised skincare service based in Adelaide. A certified skincare coach, Tenille built her practice on the idea that skincare should be as simple as possible for consumers. Her personalised skincare programs and product recommendations are based on her rigorous product selection protocol because Tenille believes every product should earn its place in your routine. Book a free 15-minute skin chat with Tenille to figure out the right next step for your skin.
You can find Tenille on Instagram, Facebook and Substack. She’s not cool enough for TikTok.
