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Paste any product's ingredient list and we'll instantly flag what's harmful, what's beneficial, and what to watch out for — based on our 60+ ingredient database.
Know your ingredients
A quick-reference guide to the ingredients you'll see most often on skincare labels — what they do and whether to seek or avoid them.
| Ingredient | What it does | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyaluronic Acid | Humectant — attracts and holds moisture in skin | Beneficial | Works best in multiple molecular weights; use on damp skin |
| Niacinamide | Brightening, pore-minimising, barrier-strengthening | Beneficial | Use at 2-5%; above 10% can cause flushing in some people |
| Ceramides | Lipids that repair and reinforce the skin barrier | Beneficial | Look for ceramide NP, AP, and EOP together for best effect |
| Glycerin | Draws moisture from the air into skin | Beneficial | One of the safest, most effective humectants available |
| Retinol | Speeds cell turnover, anti-ageing, acne treatment | Use with care | Start at 0.25%, introduce slowly, always use SPF. Avoid in pregnancy. |
| Salicylic Acid (BHA) | Oil-soluble exfoliant, penetrates and clears pores | Use with care | Effective for acne-prone skin. Avoid if pregnant. Can be drying. |
| Glycolic Acid (AHA) | Surface exfoliant, brightening, anti-ageing | Use with care | Increases sun sensitivity significantly. Always follow with SPF. |
| Fragrance / Parfum | Scent — no skin benefit | Avoid | Top contact allergen in cosmetics. Can sensitise skin over time. |
| Alcohol Denat | Solvent — creates quick-dry finish | Avoid | Strips barrier lipids with regular use. Causes long-term dryness. |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | Foaming surfactant | Avoid | Disrupts acid mantle and barrier. Especially harmful for sensitive skin. |
| Parabens | Preservative group | Avoid | Potential endocrine disruptors. Safer preservative alternatives exist. |
| Centella Asiatica | Anti-inflammatory, barrier repair, wound healing | Beneficial | Key K-beauty ingredient. Excellent for sensitive and reactive skin. |
| Squalane | Lightweight oil — hydrating and barrier-sealing | Beneficial | Non-comedogenic. Suitable for all skin types including oily. |
| Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) | Antioxidant, brightening, collagen-boosting | Use with care | Unstable — store in dark airtight packaging. Use in morning with SPF. |
| DMDM Hydantoin | Preservative (formaldehyde releaser) | Avoid | Slowly releases formaldehyde — a known irritant and carcinogen. |
Want the full 60+ ingredient reference? Get the Ingredient Cheat Sheet PDF — £9 →
Label literacy
Ingredient lists follow specific rules — understanding them makes you a smarter buyer and helps you avoid products that won't work for your skin.
Ingredients are listed in descending concentration order — the first 5 make up approximately 70-80% of the formula. If you see alcohol, fragrance, or mineral oil in the first 5, those are the dominant ingredients regardless of what the marketing says.
Ingredients listed after the preservative (usually phenoxyethanol, typically at ~1%) are present at less than 1% concentration. A serum with niacinamide listed after phenoxyethanol contains less than 1% niacinamide — essentially decorative.
Fragrance hides under many names: parfum, linalool, limonene, eugenol, citronellol, geraniol, benzyl alcohol. A product labelled "fragrance-free" that contains linalool is misleading. Our checker flags these automatically.
Essential oils, citrus extracts, and natural plant actives are among the most common causes of skincare reactions. "Natural" or "organic" on packaging has no legal definition in the UK — always check the actual ingredient list.
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Questions
Look on the product's packaging (usually the back or bottom), the brand's website product page, or retailer sites like LOOKFANTASTIC, Cult Beauty, or Boots which typically list full ingredient lists. You can also search the product name plus "INCI list".
Our database covers the most common and most important ingredients to know about. Unrecognised ingredients are usually botanical extracts, emulsifiers, or thickening agents that don't have significant positive or negative effects at typical concentrations. They're not necessarily harmful — just not in our database yet.
No — "use with care" means the ingredient is effective but requires a considered approach. Retinol, AHAs, and vitamin C all fall here. They're excellent ingredients when used correctly but can cause irritation if introduced too quickly or combined incorrectly. The caution is about how, not whether.
Not necessarily. If your skin has been responding well to the product, that's meaningful data. The "avoid" flags are based on general evidence of harm — but skin is individual. If a product with synthetic fragrance has never caused you a reaction in 2 years of use, it's likely fine for your specific skin.
INCIDecoder and EWG are excellent resources. Our checker is simpler and faster — paste a list, get instant colour-coded results without needing to look up individual ingredients. For deep research on a specific ingredient, we'd recommend INCIDecoder. For a quick pass before buying, use ours.
Go deeper
Our Skincare Ingredient Cheat Sheet covers 60+ ingredients in full detail — printable, organised by category, with concentration guidance and product recommendation tips.