To decipher an INCI list, you might think you need a PhD in chemistry... but it's the key to a clean routine! The INCI list is the exhaustive list of ingredients in a product... and after testing your memories of chemistry class, you'll see that it also tests your language skills. And yes, INCI lists are bilingual: they display the names of natural ingredients, in Latin, and synthetic ingredients, in English.
As you can see, the key to clean beauty is to understand the INCI list so that you can make a conscious choice.
Candice Colin, co-founder of the Clean Beauty app, was with us for Skin School to find out more.
(to share with those you care about!)
1 To quickly decipher a product's INCI list, concentrate on the first few ingredients, which are ranked from most to least concentrated.
2. Every day, we apply between 150 and 200 chemical ingredients to our skin. But that's only part of our exposure to chemicals, and that's the problem, especially when it comes to our exposure to controversial ingredients, which are also found in food, household products, furniture... Their cumulative and cocktail effects contribute to what is known as the exposome, the set of environmental factors to which we are subjected from our foetal life to our death.
3. Among the most controversial ingredients are endocrine disruptors, considered by the WHO to be one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. They should be absolutely banned during pregnancy, to avoid exposing babies. French health authorities are also keeping a close eye on phenoxyethanol. Other ingredients, such as mineral oils, are controversial for healthy skin (always distinguishable from skin requiring specific treatments) due to their occlusive nature and lack of biodegradability.
4. The definition of clean beauty is the absence of ingredients that are controversial for health and the environment.
5. Nobody's perfect, and perfect solutions don't exist! Some products are still difficult to formulate in "ultra-clean" versions. This is the case for (essential) suncare products, hair colorants, nail varnishes... because they are also more difficult to formulate than products from Appointment. Above all, it's important to make your choices with full knowledge of the facts and without over-dramatizing.
6. Like Candice Colin, we believe that tomorrow's beauty will call on science in all its virtues. Natural ingredients of course, but not only... Just imagine the impact it would have on the planet's resources if all cosmetics brands decided to go 100% natural. Science is constantly on the move, and that's what's important.
