What does the order of an ingredient list tell you? Estimating amounts in cosmetics and food

The basic rule: from most to least

The basic rule is the same in both cosmetics and food law: ingredients are listed in descending order of weight as added to the product. So the first ingredient on the list is the one present in the largest amount. The rules in Türkiye are aligned with the EU on this point.

This rule lets you quickly understand the overall make-up of a product. If a face cream has water, glycerin and light oils at the top, it is a moisturising cream; if a biscuit has flour, sugar and palm oil at the top, you can tell that most of the product is made up of these three.

However, the order is not information about proportions. The first ingredient could be 80% or 30%. The difference between the second and third ingredients could also be very large or very small. The order tells you “more” and “less”, not “how much”.

Why is “aqua” always first in cosmetics?

Most products such as creams, lotions, shampoos and toners are water-based. In these products, water makes up a large share of the total weight, so it almost always comes first on the list and is written under its INCI name, Aqua (sometimes Water or Aqua/Water).

This does not mean the product has been “watered down”. Water is the basic medium that dissolves and carries the other ingredients and helps them spread over the skin. Products without water (oils, balms, some serums, powder products) begin directly with an oil, wax or powder. Some products use aloe vera juice or a floral water instead of water; these too usually consist very largely of water.

In water-based products, the second and third places on the list are usually taken by the ingredients that define the type of product. In a shampoo this may be a surfactant, in a moisturiser glycerin or an oil, and in a toner alcohol or a plant water. That is why looking at the first few ingredients is a good start for guessing what kind of product it is and how it will feel on your skin.

The 1% rule: the end of the list is free

Under cosmetics law, ingredients present at less than 1% in a product can be listed in any order. This means that beyond a certain point in the list, the order no longer tells you anything.

There are practical clues for estimating where this point is. Some ingredients have legal maximum limits or typical use levels of around 1% or below. For example, the preservative phenoxyethanol can be used at a maximum of 1%. You can assume that ingredients listed after phenoxyethanol are most likely below 1%. Similarly, fragrance is used at around or below 1% in most products.

This clue is not definitive, because ingredients below 1% can appear in any order; but finding a “threshold ingredient” is a good start for understanding that those after it are present in small amounts.

• Colourants: In cosmetics they are written as numbers beginning with “CI”, usually at the very end of the list and in no particular order.
• Fragrance allergens: Declared allergens such as linalool and limonene are usually at the end of the list because they are present at very low levels.
• Plant extracts and vitamins: Even when they are highlighted on the front, they are often found in this part of the list.

Active ingredients: why does the amount matter?

For some active ingredients, effectiveness depends directly on concentration. For example, in a serum containing niacinamide, the ingredient appearing near the top of the list shows that the product contains a significant amount. If the same ingredient comes after the fragrance, it is most likely present at a very low level.

Products that state the percentage clearly on the front (such as “10% niacinamide”) are more transparent in this respect. Some actives such as retinol, on the other hand, are effective even at very low levels, so their appearing near the end of the list does not mean the product is ineffective. This is why the order has to be interpreted together with the nature of the ingredient.

Order and percentages in food

On food labels, too, ingredients are listed from most to least by the weight used during production. Unlike cosmetics, there is an important additional rule for food: the percentage of an ingredient that appears in the product name, is emphasised in the pictures or characterises the product must be stated. You can see the share of hazelnuts in a “hazelnut wafer” or the share of fruit in a “fruit yoghurt” on the label.

This percentage is the quickest way to see how genuine the claim on the front is. In food, there is also flexibility in the order for ingredients below 2%; these can be listed in a different order at the end of the list.

Another clue in food is the same ingredient being listed in different forms. For example, sugar may appear in three separate places as sugar, glucose syrup and dextrose. For more on this, see our hidden names for sugar guide.

Estimating amounts from the label: a practical method

• Find the claim on the front: Which ingredient is being highlighted?
• Look at its position in the list: Is it in the first five, or after the fragrance or preservative?
• Look for a threshold ingredient: In cosmetics, ingredients that come after phenoxyethanol, fragrance or colourants such as titanium dioxide are usually present at very low levels.
• In food, look at the percentage: The percentage of the highlighted ingredient should be stated.
• Think about the overall structure: In a shampoo, SLES in second place is the main cleanser, while “keratin” at the end of the list is a supporting addition.

This method does not give exact amounts, but it is a powerful tool for judging how realistic marketing claims are. For general techniques for reading cosmetic labels, see our articles how to read a shampoo label and, for food, how to read food labels.