When I'm at a convenience store, I get overwhelmed by the endless number of cosmetic products that line the shelves. Since companies often mislead consumers with their mislabeled “organic” and “natural” products, how can we avoid being ripped off? The key is to read the label. Here’s how to easily decipher the ingredients list, our best ally:
1. Identify the 1% line. Don’t let all the foreign terms bog you down. If you scroll downwards on the label, look for one (or more) of these red flags:
a) Fragrance/perfume.
b) Natural ingredients, usually plant extracts from vegetables and fruits.
c) Vitamins and/or minerals.
Anything listed after one of these three ingredients constitutes less than 1% of the total product. Think about it. If companies included more valuable, natural ingredients, they’d have filed for bankruptcy by now!
2. Determine the ordering of active ingredients. U.S. federal law requires that ingredients be listed in decreasing order, so if water is listed first, it constitutes most of the product. The most active ingredients, which do the actual work like minimizing body odor or moisturizing flaky skin, follow the same decreasing order. You should be paying for more active ingredients which come before the 1% line!
Think twice before buying your cosmetics!
Now, how would you buy cosmetic care products?
* The term “cosmetics” not only applies to decorative cosmetics (i.e. makeup and colored contact lenses) but any products meant to enhance your look and scent, like care cosmetics. Think Vaseline and Speed Stick.
1. Identify the 1% line. Don’t let all the foreign terms bog you down. If you scroll downwards on the label, look for one (or more) of these red flags:
a) Fragrance/perfume.
b) Natural ingredients, usually plant extracts from vegetables and fruits.
c) Vitamins and/or minerals.
Anything listed after one of these three ingredients constitutes less than 1% of the total product. Think about it. If companies included more valuable, natural ingredients, they’d have filed for bankruptcy by now!
2. Determine the ordering of active ingredients. U.S. federal law requires that ingredients be listed in decreasing order, so if water is listed first, it constitutes most of the product. The most active ingredients, which do the actual work like minimizing body odor or moisturizing flaky skin, follow the same decreasing order. You should be paying for more active ingredients which come before the 1% line!
Think twice before buying your cosmetics!
Now, how would you buy cosmetic care products?
* The term “cosmetics” not only applies to decorative cosmetics (i.e. makeup and colored contact lenses) but any products meant to enhance your look and scent, like care cosmetics. Think Vaseline and Speed Stick.
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