To take care of our body and the environment we must become aware of what we eat, consume, use. Let’s try to understand that even if we don’t see the future, it will come. And if we don’t take it into account, we or our children could pay the consequences. We hear a lot about sustainability, and this also involves aspects of our life that we would otherwise consider excluded. For example cosmetics and body care.
By cosmetics we do not only mean make-up, but also shower gel, soap, shampoo, creams, and so on. Many of these contain harmful and polluting chemicals, not only for the environment, but also and above all for us and our skin. There is a way, however, to understand what we are using, and then decide whether to make a purchase or not. This way is called “INCI label”.
We read this cosmetics label carefully if we do not want to have any health problems
What is the INCI label? INCI stands for International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredients, that is International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. In short, a method to allow the consumer to understand what a product contains in terms of ingredients. For example, if heavy metals are present in a shampoo and in what quantity. Or if a product is made from natural or chemical substances, and in what percentage. There are many examples, but we always read this cosmetics label carefully if we do not want to have health problems.
How to read the INCI label
Each label has an order, and the order is not random. It always starts with the ingredient present in larger quantities, which is usually water. It is not always easy to read the labels, for example, due to the Latin names. This is why there are some applications that make it a lot easier and read them for us.
There are some ingredients that you should definitely avoid.
Petroleum products, ie petroleum derivatives, such as Vaseline and liquid paraffin (but there are many others).
SLES and SLS, the surfactants that produce the foam we like so much but which is highly polluting.
Silicones, silicon-based compounds that create a film on hair and skin.
Parabens, compounds used as preservatives that penetrate the skin and remain there.
PEGs, other highly polluting compounds.
(We remind you to carefully read the warnings regarding this article, which can be consulted who”)