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How to read a skincare ingredient label

All rules below are US rules, from FDA's Cosmetics Labeling Guide (https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-regulations/cosmetics-labeling-guide, opened 2026-10-15), which cites 21 CFR 701.3.

Non-clinical; makes no efficacy claims.

1. The list runs from most to least

"The ingredients must be listed in descending order of predominance" (21 CFR 701.3(a)). The first ingredient, often water, is the largest by amount.

2. The 1% line

"Ingredients present at a concentration not exceeding 1% may be listed in any order after the listing of the ingredients present at more than 1% in descending order of predominance" (§ 701.3(f)(2)). So once you're past the 1% point, order no longer tells you which ingredient is present in a greater amount. The label does not show where that point is.

3. Other exceptions

• If the product is also a drug (e.g. sunscreen), the active drug ingredient is listed first, separately (§ 701.3(d)).
• Color additives may be listed in any order at the end (§ 701.3(f)(3)).
• An ingredient FDA has accepted as a trade secret can appear as "and other ingredients" (§ 701.3(a)).

4. How peptides are named

Labels must use a name set by FDA (§ 701.30) or the name in listed references, including the CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary (21 CFR 701.3(c), per the FDA guide). That's why peptides appear as names like "Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4" or "Copper Tripeptide-1" rather than a brand's trade name. A trade name on the front (for example a branded "complex") may not appear in the ingredient list at all.

5. What a stated % means

FDA's guide notes that ingredient concentrations "need not be declared by regulation". When a brand does state a %, check what it is a percentage of: one named ingredient, or a trade-name blend or solution that contains it. Those are not the same thing. The label alone won't tell you, so look for the brand to say which ingredient the % refers to.

Not yet verified

• EU rules (Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009): the official EUR-Lex text could not be opened today, so EU labelling is not covered yet.