In most countries that have cosmetic regulation of some description, there are specific requirements for cosmetic labelling.
In India it is mandatory to have (e.g.) the following:
- Batch Number
- Date of manufacture
- MRP (Maximum Retail price)
(this is not an exhaustive list)
By contrast, in most countries the MRP or the Minimum Retail price is not compulsory….
The Ingredient label..
It is essential for an ingredient label to be published in 99% of countries, where the product size is at least 30ml. For smaller sized products (e.g.) 15ml, 10ml, this is not always compulsory.
Is there any order to the ingredient list?
Absolutely.
In India (and most of the world, including the USA and the EU), ingredients should be listed in descending order of quantity.
This image is of list of ingredients for Kiehl’s Vitamin C Eye serum and I’ve listed out the first 5 ingredients
Does this mean the ingredients at the end of the list are present in the least amount of quantity?
Not necessarily.
Below 1% most countries will permit ingredients to be listed in any order…
In the list above, the last three ingredients are Tetrapeptide-7, Citric Acid and Biotin. From the label, I can only tell you that its likely that these ingredients are present below 1% and not (e.g.) which is present in the greater quantity.
When marketing claims on the label are confusing as hell….
The reason for writing this blog is actually this product, Garnier’s Bright Complete Booster Serum.
You would be tempted to think this is a Vitamin C serum because of the prominence of the lemon (the marketing) AND the claim of the 30 x Vitamin C
…And you would be wrong.
What does the 30 x Vitamin C actually mean?
And just to be sure, look at the ingredient label to realise this is not a Vitamin C serum
The fact that this appears at no 12 in the ingredient list, suggests that:-
- The amount of Vitamin C in the product is less than 1%
- The principle reason for brighter lighter skin is in fact not because of Vitamin C. That mantle belongs to another ingredient: Niacinamide which appears at position 8.
See this blog for the functions of Niacinamide