What INCI is and why order matters

INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) is the international naming standard. In the EU, ingredient order follows Regulation 1223/2009. In the US, 21 CFR 701.3. One rule: everything above 1% concentration goes in descending order by mass.

In practice:

  • First ingredient is usually water (60–85% of the formula).
  • First 3–5 ingredients account for 70–80% of the product.
  • Anything after the 1% cutoff can be listed in any order. Brands exploit this: "actives" get hidden near preservatives to puff up the label.

If the hyped vitamin C sits after phenoxyethanol, it's 1% or less. Often 0.1 to 0.3%.

The Evigrade traffic light

Each ingredient gets one of three tags.

GREEN

Proven safe at standard concentrations with a real functional role. Examples: niacinamide, glycerin, modern UV filters like DHHB or Tinosorb S. Green does not mean "works miracles". Green means "won't harm you and does its job".

YELLOW

Context-dependent. Reasons for yellow:

  1. Works only at specific concentrations (vitamin C as LAA below 10% does little).
  2. Conflicting evidence base.
  3. Above-average irritation potential (high-percent AHAs, essential oils).
  4. Disputed mechanism (plant stem cells, "youth peptides" without clinical RCTs).

RED

Avoid if possible. Reasons:

  • Systemic absorption above FDA/SCCS safety thresholds (oxybenzone).
  • Degradation into toxic metabolites (octocrylene breaks down into benzophenone on storage).
  • Endocrine activity in vivo (Klammer et al., 2007 for octinoxate).
  • Frequent photocontact allergens.

Red does not mean "poison". Red means "better options exist, why risk it".

Positional warnings

Ingredient color is half the picture. Where it sits is the other half.

  • Alcohol in top 3 (Alcohol Denat., SD Alcohol): likely 10–30%. OK for oily skin, risky for dry and mature. Alcohol at the end of the list is a 0.5–1% solvent, not a concern.
  • Essential oil in top 5: high sensitization load, especially citrus and lavender. In the tail – just fragrance, under 0.3%.
  • AHA/BHA in top 5: this is an acid product, not a moisturizer. Apply at night, use SPF next day.
  • Parfum/Fragrance above position 5: signal the product is scented, not functional.

Base components are not actives

In any cream, 60–80% of the formula is structural:

  • Emulsifiers: Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 20 – bind water and oil.
  • Thickeners: Carbomer, Xanthan Gum – give texture.
  • Emollients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Dimethicone – soften.
  • Preservatives: Phenoxyethanol, sorbates – protect against bacteria and mold.

These do not deliver anti-aging. Their job is to keep the product from falling apart.

30-second shelf algorithm

  1. Check the first 5 ingredients. If the actives you're paying for sit past position 10, it's a basic moisturizer with marketing.
  2. Scan for alcohol or essential oil above position 5 if skin is sensitive.
  3. Open the Evigrade extension, snap the INCI – each ingredient gets color-coded in a second.

→ Install the extension

INCI intimidates only the first few times. After a month of regular reading, most lines become familiar and the product picture takes five seconds.