How to Read an INCI List

The INCI list is the only part of a package that can't lie. Everything else — the product name, the promises, the percentages on the front — is marketing. The list follows an international standard.

You still have to know how to read it, and above all where it stops telling you anything.

The basic rule: descending order

Ingredients are listed from most present to least. The first often represents 60 to 80% of the formula — almost always Aqua, water.

The limit nobody mentions: this rule stops at 1%. Below that threshold, a manufacturer can order ingredients however they like. That's why a hero active can appear eighth on the list and be present at 0.01%.

How to spot the threshold: preservatives (phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin), fragrance and colourants are almost always under 1%. As soon as you see them, everything that follows is present in marginal amounts.

The three positions that matter

• The first ingredient — the base. Water, oil, or a fat if it's a balm.
• The second or third — on a shampoo or cleanser, that's the primary surfactant: the one that determines how gentle the product is. We wrote a whole article about ours.
• Where the advertised active sits — if it comes after the preservatives, the promise on the front of the bottle is hard to keep.

The claims that mean nothing

None of these is regulated:

• “Natural”, “clean”. No legal definition. Any product can carry them.
• “Sulfate-free”. True on paper, but it permits surfactants just as stripping — an olefin sulfonate isn't a sulfate.
• “Hypoallergenic”. Doesn't mean “allergen-free”, only that the manufacturer itself judges the risk reduced.
• “Non-comedogenic”. No mandatory standardised test behind it.

Two things, by contrast, are regulated and reliable: the INCI list itself, and the minimum durability date or period-after-opening (the little open jar marked “12M”).

Animal-derived ingredients, in plain terms

Three come up constantly and hide behind Latin names:

• Cera Alba — beeswax.
• Carmine (CI 75470) — red pigment from cochineal insects.
• Lanolin — from wool grease.

A product containing any of these is not vegan, whatever the front of the pack says. That's why we write in plain terms, on the Shea Body Butter page, that it contains beeswax and is therefore not vegan.

Our commitment, in three points

TORVIA is a Canadian beauty brand based in Montreal. What we commit to:

• The complete INCI list on every product page, with directions and country of manufacture. Not a selection of flattering ingredients — the whole list.
• No promise we can't keep. Our articles state that no oil makes a beard grow, that no cream fills a hollow dark circle, and that we don't sell sunscreen even though it's the single most important step in skincare.
• No fake reviews. We're new: you won't find customer reviews on this site yet. We're waiting for real ones.

Our formulas are made in North America. A question about a composition: support@torviabeauty.com — a real person answers.

Frequently asked

Is a short list a mark of quality?

Not in itself. A short list limits irritation risk, which is valuable on sensitive skin. But some effective formulas need emulsifiers, stabilisers and preservatives — removing them would make an unstable product, not a better one.

Should you avoid preservatives?

No. A water-based product without preservatives grows micro-organisms within days. The real risk is far greater than the preservative's.

Where can you check an ingredient?

The European Commission's CosIng database lists INCI names and their function. It's free and neutral — we have no interest in you taking our word for it.

All our INCI lists are published in full on the product pages, including the parts that don't flatter us.