How to read a hair care label in 2 minutes
On the front of a bottle, anyone can write more or less what they like. On the back, no.
The INCI list is the one place on cosmetic packaging where the manufacturer has no room for manoeuvre: imposed format, imposed content, imposed order. That is why it is unreadable — and that is why it is the most reliable part.
5 rules are enough to decode it.
1. It is Latin and English, not Chinese
INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. One nomenclature for the whole of Europe, whatever the language on the pack.
The rule is simple: plants carry their Latin name, everything else carries its English name.
So AQUA is water. SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL is jojoba oil. PRUNUS AMYGDALUS DULCIS OIL is sweet almond. TOCOPHEROL is vitamin E. PARFUM is a fragrance, compounded or natural, whose detail does not have to be published.
A long Latin name is therefore not a signal of heavy chemistry. Often it is the opposite.
2. The order is the only quantitative information
Ingredients are listed in descending order of quantity — down to 1 %. Below 1 %, the manufacturer arranges them however they like.
Practical consequence: the first 5 names make the product. The rest is detail, preservation, fragrance or adjustment.
That is also the limit of the system: the list gives you a ranking, never a percentage. An active ingredient showcased on the front can sit in eighteenth position, at 0.1 %, and remain perfectly legal.
3. AQUA at the top is not a flaw
It is the most common accusation on social media — and it is often wrong.
Water is the base of most rinse-off cosmetics. What matters is not that it is there, but what accompanies it and in what proportion.
A concrete example. Our Oily Hair Oil starts with ROSA DAMASCENA FLOWER WATER: that is not water, it is organic Damask rose hydrosol, and it accounts for 63.4 % of the formula. AQUA appears further down, in fourth position.
Conversely, our Dry Hair Oil contains no water at all: the first 4 names are 4 plant oils, together making up 95.4 % of the formula.
Two products, two constructions. The list says so in 3 seconds.
4. The end of the list is not a trap
On products containing essential oils, the list often ends with a string of alarming names: LIMONENE, LINALOOL, GERANIOL, CITRAL, EUGENOL…
These are not additives. They are components naturally present in essential oils. European regulation requires them to be declared above a threshold, because they are among the recognised allergens.
In other words: their presence on the label does not signal a more loaded product, it signals a manufacturer applying the rule. A product with essential oils that does not mention them is the one that should raise questions.
If you have a known sensitivity to one of them, the list is precisely what lets you avoid it. That is what it is for.
5. Certified is not the same as declared
This is the most useful distinction of all.
« Paraben-free », « natural », « clean », « of natural origin »: these mentions are written by the brand, on its own criteria. Some are not even defined in regulation. « Paraben-free » says nothing about what the product contains — only about one thing it does not.
« Certified COSMOS ORGANIC by Ecocert »: an independent body has verified the formula, the origin of the ingredients and the manufacturing process, and audits every year. The certifier's name appears on the packaging, and it can be checked.
The rule: a declaration asks you to trust the brand, a certification commits a third party.
In practice
Take any bottle and ask yourself these 4 questions:
- What are the first 5 ingredients?
- Is what the front showcases near the top of the list, or right at the bottom?
- Are the essential oil allergens declared?
- Is there a certification, with the body's name — or only adjectives?
Our two full lists are published, with proportions, on the Our formulas page. You do not have to believe us: you are invited to check.
comai. oils contain essential oils: they are not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for children under 12. External use only. A patch test on the inner elbow is recommended before first use.
