FATAZEN Editorial · Brand Journal · Updated 8 September 2026
An ingredient list usually cannot reveal exact skincare percentages. Use it to identify ingredients and ask clearer questions, then compare the information actually given for each product.
What does ingredient order actually tell you?
For cosmetics sold in the United States, the FDA explains that ingredients are generally declared in descending order of predominance. However, ingredients at concentrations of 1% or less may appear in any order after those above 1%; color additives have a separate ordering exception. These are U.S. rules, not a universal template for every market. See the FDA Cosmetics Labeling Guide.
Our practical takeaway: names and an ordering convention do not provide a complete recipe. Fifth place does not mean “5%,” and counting ingredients cannot identify an exact 1% boundary.
Separate three different questions
When a product highlights an ingredient, write down what you actually want to know:
- Identity: Is the ingredient named in the complete list for this exact product?
- Amount: Does the brand state a percentage, and does it explain what that percentage measures?
- Result: What evidence supports the specific benefit described for the finished product?
These questions need different answers. The European Union’s cosmetic-claims criteria require adequate, verifiable support for claims and relevant evidence when ingredient properties are extended to a finished product. An ingredient reference is therefore not enough on its own to establish the advertised product result. Read EU Regulation 655/2013, Annex sections 2 and 3.
Use a simple comparison note
Instead of scoring products by how high a familiar name appears, create one short entry for each option:
- Exact item: record the product name, size and market shown on the package or page.
- Information checked: save the current ingredient list and where you found it, with today’s date.
- Number stated: copy any percentage with its surrounding wording; leave this field “not stated” when none is given.
- Question remaining: identify the one detail that would change your decision, such as which ingredient or blend a headline number describes.
- Routine fit: note the intended step, directions, format and your texture preferences.
This is a shopping note, not a formula assessment. If two descriptions leave different gaps, make those gaps visible instead of treating one as a winner. For example, “percentage not stated” and “percentage stated, basis unclear” are different observations. Neither needs an invented estimate.
Look up a name without turning it into an approval
The European Commission’s CosIng database can help with ingredient information. The Commission explicitly states that an INCI name appearing in its inventory does not mean the ingredient is approved for cosmetic use; the database itself has no legal value. Use its ingredient-database notice to understand that boundary.
For a plain-language starting point within FATAZEN, the Ingredient Glossary connects ingredient cues with routine roles. Keep your comparison note alongside it, so a useful explanation does not quietly become an assumption about a particular bottle.
Questions shoppers ask
Does the same position mean the same amount?
No. Position does not specify a percentage. Record an unstated amount as unknown; ask the brand if it matters.
Does a larger advertised percentage prove a better result?
A percentage alone does not establish the claimed benefit of the finished product. Check what the number describes and what supports the specific result being advertised.
What should a retailer ask before reusing a product claim?
Ask for the current product information, the exact approved wording for the intended market, and the supporting basis for that wording. Keep unanswered questions in the review record before preparing your own description.
Continue with FATAZEN’s Clean Philosophy for our approach to clearer product information. Retailers and distributors considering the range can use Partner With FATAZEN to introduce their market and channel.