How to Read an Ingredient Label
This applies to every product, not just one ingredient — worth knowing before you check any entry on AskMelanin.
Ingredients are listed by concentration, mostly
By law, cosmetic ingredients above 1% concentration must be listed in descending order — the ones used in the largest amounts come first. That's why "water" or "aqua" almost always leads: most formulas are mostly water.
Below 1%, order stops meaning much
Once you're past the ingredients used above 1%, brands can list the rest in any order. So an active ingredient sitting near the bottom of a label isn't necessarily "weak" — some ingredients (like preservatives or certain actives) work at very low percentages by design.
The first 5–10 ingredients matter most
These make up the bulk of what you're actually applying to your skin. If you're checking whether a product is a good fit for you, this is where to look first — barrier-supporting ingredients, oils, humectants, and your main actives usually show up here.
A long list isn't automatically bad
More ingredients often means a more complex, layered formula — not necessarily more risk. What matters more is whether the specific ingredients suit your skin, not the length of the list.