Ingredient Lists Are Ordered from Highest Amount to Lowest | How to Read Full Ingredient Labeling

Those ingredient names lined up densely on the back of cosmetics. It is not widely known that there are rules for how they are written.

First, listing them is mandatory

To distribute cosmetics in Japan, the PMD Act requires the names of all ingredients to be listed on the package and similar materials. The basis for this is a notice issued in 2001 (Heisei 13), and since then, full ingredient labeling has become the general rule.

There is a dividing line in the order

• List them in descending order of amount blended --This is the general rule.
• Ingredients at 1% or less may be listed in any order --This is the “however” part.
• Colorants may also be listed in any order --This is why they are often grouped together at the end.

In other words, ingredients listed near the top are indeed present in larger amounts. But for those listed lower down, you cannot read the amount from the order alone. “It is near the end, so there must be very little” is not necessarily true.

The names used are standardized

As a rule, the names used on labels are the ingredient labeling names compiled by the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association. If the same raw material were written under different names by different companies, it would be impossible to compare them, so the names are standardized.

An ingredient list is not a code for guessing the formula. It is a list that lets anyone check what is inside. Simply knowing the rules for how to read it can help you avoid being swayed more than necessary.

There are other labeling rules as well. What must be written on the container is also worth reading.

References: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Japan Cosmetic Industry Association

—The Value Village Editorial Team