A claim that we often hear from people outside of the cosmetic industry is that they want companies to label all the ingredients that go in cosmetics. When we tell them that cosmetic companies already do this, they quickly point out Fragrance and “contaminants” as loopholes to the rules.
We find this odd. Do people really want ingredient lists that are over 100 ingredients long. Let’s just compare what products would look like if they listed all the component ingredients of a fragrance.
Ingredient lists – short version vs long version
Here is what your ingredient list looks like for Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo
WATER, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, GLYCERIN, PEG 40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, CITRIC ACID, DMDM HYDANTOIN, FRAGRANCE
Here is what it might look like if you included all the component fragrance ingredients.
WATER, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, GLYCERIN, PEG 40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, CITRIC ACID, DMDM HYDANTOIN, ACETANISOLE,4-METHOXYBENZOIC ACID,STYRENE,BENZONITRILE,BENZYL ALCOHOL, BENZALDEHYDE, ANISOLE, DIMETHYLPHENETHYL ALCOHOL, PENTADECANOIC ACID, JUNIPER, OCTANAL DIMETHYL ACETAL, 2-ETHYLBUTYL ACETATE, HEPTANAL DIMETHYL ACETAL, HEXYL ISOVALERATE, HEXYL 2-METHYLBUTYRATE, DIMETHYLPHENETHYL FORMATE, HEX-2-ENYL ACETATE (ISOMER UNSPECIFIED), 3-HEXENYL 2-METHYLBUTANOATE, BENZENEETHANOL, 4-(1-METHYLETHYL), METHYLCINNAMALDEHYDE, METHYL PHENYLACETATE, PHENYLACETALDEHYDE DIMETHYL ACETAL, PHENYLACETALDEHYDE ETHYLENE GLYCOL ACETAL DIPHENYLMETHANE, DIPHENYL ETHER, AMYLCINNAMYL ALCOHOL, HEXYLCINNAMALDEHYDE, P-TOLYL PHENYLACETATE, ETHYL PHENYLACETATE, 2H-1-BENZOPYRAN-6-OL, 3,4-DIHYDRO-2,5,7,8-TETRAMETHYL-2-(4,8,12-TRIMETHYLTRIDECYL), ISOBUTYL PHENYLACETATE, BENZYL PHENYLACETATE,ANISYL PHENYLACETATE, ISOAMYL PHENYLACETATE, PHENETHYL PHENYLACETATE, GERANYL PHENYLACETATE, 2-PROPANOL, 1,1′,1′,1′-(1,2-ETHANEDIYLDINITRILO)TETRAKIS, TRIETHANOLAMINE, (TRI-)ACETIN, ZANTHOXYLUM, 2-HEPTEN-4-ONE, 5-METHYL-, (E), PHYTYL ACETATE, 4-HEPTANOL, 2,6-DIMETHYL-,ACETATE, 2-METHYL-4-PHENYL-2-BUTANOL, 2-METHYL-4-PHENYL-2-BUTYL ACETATE, 2-ETHYLHEXYL ACETATE, DI-(2-ETHYLHEXYL) ADIPATE, METHYL CINNAMATE, BENZYL ISOBUTYRATE, ETHYL CINNAMATE, BENZYL BUTYRATE, BENZYL ISOVALERATE, BENZYL CINNAMATE, PHENETHYL ACETATE, PHENETHYL ISOBUTYRATE, DIBENZYL ETHER, PHENETHYL BUTYRATE, PHENETHYL CINNAMATE, CINNAMYL ACETATE, CINNAMYL PROPIONATE, 3-PHENYLPROPYL ISOBUTYRATE, CINNAMYL ISOBUTYRATE, 2-PHENOXYETHYL ISOBUTYRATE, CINNAMYL BUTYRATE, PHENYLACETIC ACID, ACETANILIDE, P-TOLYL ISOBUTYRATE, 2-METHYL-3-(P-ISOPROPYLPHENYL)PROPIONALDEHYDE, 3,7-DIMETHYL-1,6-NONADIEN-3-OL, CARBONIC ACID, BENZYL VALERATE, 1-NAPHTHALENOL, 1,2,3,4,4A,5,8,8A-OCTAHYDRO-2,2,6,8-TETRAMETHYL-, 3-TRIMETHYL BENZENEPROPANOL, P-TOLYLACETALDEHYDE, 4-(P-METHOXYPHENYL)-2-BUTANONE, ANISYL ACETATE, PROPYLANISOLE, ANETHOLE , OCTALACTONE, 3-PHENYLPROPIONALDEHYDE, CINNAMYL ALCOHOL, CINNAMALDEHYDE, BENZYL FORMATE, NONALACTONE, PHENETHYL FORMATE, CINNAMYL FORMATE, UNDECALACTONE, 2-ETHYL-1-HEXANOL, TOLUALDEHYDE, METHYLANISOLE, EUGENYL PHENYLACETATE, 2-PHENYLPROPYL ACETATE, METHYL 2-[[3-(1,3-BENZODIOXOL-5-YL)-2-METHYL-1-PROPENYL]AMINO]BENZOATE
So, do you feel more informed? How do you think that will affect the products you purchase?
Full Ingredient Disclosure
And while we’re at it, shouldn’t we also list all of the “hidden” ingredients present in natural oils and other substances?
Would you want the ingredient list of Dessert Essence pure Jojoba oil to look like this…
JOJOBA OIL
or like this…
CAPRYLIC ACID, CAPRIC ACID, LAURIC ACID, MYRISTIC ACID, PALMITIC ACID, STEARIC ACID, OLEIC ACID, LINOLEIC ACID, ARACHIDIC ACID, BEHENIC ACID, ERUCIC ACID, NERVONIC ACID, 5-DECANOL, 1-DOCOSANOL, 1,19-EICOSANEDIOL, 1,22-DOCOSANEDIOL, 1-HEXADECANOL, 9-OCTADECEN-1-OL, HEPTANE, OCTANE, NONANE, DECANE, 1,5-HEPTADIEN-4-ONE,3,3,6-TRIMETHYL, UNDECANE, DODECANE, BUTANE1,1-DIBUTOXY, TETRADECENE, TETRADECANE, PENTADECANE, OCTADECANE, 1-OCTADECENE, DOCOSANE, HEXADECANE, HEXATRIACONTANE, 1-EICOSENE, 9-OCTADECENAL, 14,17-OCTADECADIENOIC ACID, 1,21-DOCOSADIENE, 14-TRICOSENYL FORMATE, STIGMASTEROL
(chemical analysis of Jojoba Oil)
Now, imagine this same level of chemical listing for every ingredient that was in your cosmetic product. Ingredient lists would be multiple pages long! Would this really be helping anyone?
Would it really make you a better informed cosmetic buyer?
Image credit: http://pixabay.com/
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
No it wouldnt be more informing to the average person, the average person understands jojoba oil but not its chemical make up. I think when these environmentalists are asking for this they dont understand what it entails and I do not believe they have the means to understand even a short ingredients list from a technical/chemical standard. They are too blinded by FEER OF TEH CHEMICALZ! Completely unrealistic and would just make things needlessly complicated, would also waste more ink/space to type all that which is wasting resources. Irony.
As much as I’d hate to look at the latter lists every time I shopped, I do think that the “fragrance” cover-all ingredient is stupid. Makes life extremely difficult to people who are allergic/sensitive to certain components. I know I have just one perfume that makes my skin red and itchy, but I have no idea why that one in particular is an issue.
@Rachel – In the EU (and most companies do it in the US) it is a requirement to list all of the 20+ allergens that might be present in a fragrance. That’s why you’ll see things like Limonene and Linalool listed. Here are the 26 ingredients used in fragrances that are known to cause allergic reactions in some segment of the population.
Its almost like atoms and molecules and so on. I do really want to know whats in things i buy …. Maybe i am one of the 5% who spend loads of time in stores to read them tiny labels and frustrating salesladies but i do and think it is essential information which should be available to consumers at all time
questioning what or who sets the boundary in usability of an inci list is good now and then
I did read this post on my phone
Scroll down was endless!
Just imagine the “scroll down” if every product had to list ingredients like this!
Just imagine the even smaller font the manufacturer would have to use to print the list on the label…
I sure don’t need to be saved the trouble of reading that long label if the other option is to not be able to know what I am putting on my skin or my kid’s skin. This is a good article I found about fragrances: http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2010/05/something-stinks-secrecy-and-health-hazards-courtesy-fragrance-industry
I think that consumers should have the option to look it up – perhaps online, but requiring printing of the ingredients of the ingredients is getting a little intense on packaging. Cookies with chocolate chips have chocolate chips – not cacao, cocoa butter, sugar, etc. Same sort of concept. There’s a line between reasonable and well informed to keep everyone satisfied.
I want to know! It’s up to the customers to decide what products/ingredients to use, and for those who don’t care – don’t read it! But ALL of the ingredients should DEFINITELY be listed!!!
I think this world has gone waaaay too far… Jojoba Oil is just one tiny example….we have to accept that just about everything we do, everything we eat, everything we put on our bodies in one form or another.. they will ALL contain some stuff that’s gonna kill us! If we want to get away from that, the only way is to go and live on the Moon for a while… or maybe come back to earth in a zillion years when mankind will probably be long gone and the world will have returned to normal!
Oh aren’t I cheery!
I just wish they couldn’t make claims about what products do when the ingredients will tell you the product clearly won’t do any of those things.
This has really given me something to think about. Sometimes too much information is just not good, let alone productive. Even if you were to possibly know every single trace ingredient a product had, who among us would ever know what even that means? Natural or manufactured makes no difference, too much of anything can harm you.
No, I don’t think this would help much. It would just cost more for packaging, which in turn, would make the prices go up for every product.
I don’t think it would be too helpful to list every component of fragrance for example. The allergens should be listed (but this is a requirement in most countries anyway). I think there should be a certain amount of trust in the FDA for not allowing skin care products on the market that contain high amounts of potentially dangerous substances. Before any product reaches the market, it undergoes a rigorous process of testing. (I’ve been through that).
The FDA has continually let down the public in terms of safety. It’s all about politics people. I certainly do not trust an unknown body of government to have the high level of integrity that it should in order to safeguard the public against corporations who’s end goal is to make as much profit off a product that took the least amount of money to make. The danger often lies in ” other ingredients” . Yes, I want to know what’s in the products I am using . I will painstakingly research the list of unknown words so that I become more familiar with them so that I can become not only a better informed consumer but also a healthier one. Now I am wondering who’s best interests this website has in mind
I would love to have a list like this available. I could cross reference the chemicals with proteins and try to narrow down what chemical is making me break out with an allergic reaction.
Sometimes a chemical is manufactured using a process that can leave trace residue of something, but without this type of information, I can’t even begin to look it up.
I’d love to have a national registry/database where this type of information can be found. like http://www.chemcheck.gov/check/v1/product/upc/1030434234