What’s on our labels!?

When buying our skin care products we usually read some of the label; this bit of info may help to clarify what your labels

mean – I hope, here goes:-


1st part of label: Company name, product title, product description i.e. moisturiser, attractive or fashion selling ingredient

e.g. Herbs, Essential Oils, Active Ingredient i.e. Q10

2nd part: What the product will do for you, how to use, safety info, directions of use, other info i.e. ‘shake well’


3rdpart: Legal information:

  • Container with Open lid image indicates the shelf life once opened as most
    ingredients especially essential oils and other active ingredients become
    inactive after a period of time or may become rancid. Unfortunately there is
    nothing on the label to indicate when the ingredients were first processed or
    infact when the product was made; therefore our best indicator for safe and
    effective use is the BBE (best before end) date or the ‘open lid’ image date.
  • Company contact info, place of production
  • Quantity e.g. 200ml, small ‘e’ = exact amount, large e = approximate amount, this is the most commonly used as there might be slight variance when product is decanted into its final container (large ‘e’ is at least the same size as the numbers indicating the amount i.e. 200ml e, the small = 200ml e)


Found on label or other part of container are:-

  • The batch number, which allows product to be identified with all others made at the same time from the same batch (this is what is used if a product is ‘recalled’)
  • The BBE = best before end followed by a date will inform when best to use product by.
  • An ‘open book’ image indicates the information is on a leaflet separate from the label.
    Product code, identifies the product type i.e. ‘Fab Feet – foot creams’ there may be several different sizes, but this will only identify the type
  • SKU = Stock Keeping Unit, identifies the product by type and the different sizes i.e. 50ml, 200ml or 500ml each size will have its own SKU
  • Bar code = for shop to identify product and gives info on:
    • Order quantity
    • stock levels
    • product code
    • batch number
    • company id

4thpart: Ingredients: listed in greater amount first and least last. Water if applicable is usually the greater quantity in a skin care product, ingredients are added in % amounts of total batch made for efficacy of product (although more unscrupulous companies will add dead ingredients i.e. herbs, or active ingredients such as Q10 in minute and ineffective quantities, but can claim inclusion in order to ‘sell’ the product)

5) INCI (click on this link to see our list of English to INCI names International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients): These are legally required as most companies sell their
products internationally, space allowing on label the English names are sometimes included shown in brackets i.e. Ricinus
communis (Castor oil).

Hope this helps with your purchasing choices

Tru x