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Is an INCI/Ingredients list ordered by % w/w or % w/v? Does it matter which?
Hi all,
Probably a really basic query for some of you. Hopefully a really straightforward answer!
I know that an INCI / Ingredients list is written in the order of concentration when listing ingredients used at more than 1%, but is the concentration by weight or by volume? Does it matter? I did a quick search online but all I can seem to find is “ordered by concentration” without further clarification.
I have always assumed it was by weight, but now I’m wondering whether its actually specified.
Don’t worry - I’m not writing them! Just trying to interpret
Thanks in advance.
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7 Replies
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I don’t think it is specified. But the concentration should be normalized and the easiest way to do that is to list everything by weight (mass really). If you list things by volume then you have to worry about density and it gets complicated.
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@Perry Thanks, I thought that.
I’ve just come across an INCI on a concealer product which has Silica listed as the 3rd ingredient (below cyclopentasiloxane and water), and was finding it hard to believe that could be by weight because it has such a low density!
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@klangridge, unfortunately not all brands are following proper labelling rules, and that might be the case with the concealer you are referring to. There is also a possibility that the concealer has an insanely long list of ingredients, where they thew everything but the kitchen sink to it. So, assuming it’s water in silicone emulsion, D5 and water would be your first ingredients. I would expect to see emulsifiers after that, but, if they used 5 different emulsifiers (which happens pretty often), they indeed might be lower in the list than silica (which I would expect to be around 1-1.5% as oil phase gelling agent). If you post a list of ingredients I can try to guess if it’s the case.
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Thanks @ngarayeva001
INCI:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Aqua
(Water), Silica, Glycerin, Phenyl
Trimethicone, Butylene
Glycol, PEG-10
Dimethicone, Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Disteardimonium
Hectorite, Polymethyl
Methacrylate, Dimethicone/Vinyl
Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Isododecane, Cetyl
PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Isostearic
Acid, Aluminium
Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Hydrogenated
Lecithin, Disodium
Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium
Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl
Acetate, Sodium
Hyaluronate, Pentaerythrityl
Tetra-di-t Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, CI
77891 Titanium Dioxide, CI
77492, CI
77491, CI77499I was thinking W/S, and the emulsifiers are much lower down. I do have trouble determining the “1% point” sometimes, and this is one of those times!
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It’s actually a tricky one. In theory, all ingredients starting from silica could be at 1%. It’s a cold process formula, so they would need a good stabiliser, which explains why they might have used silica at 1-1.5%. I also don’t see electrolytes here which is surprising, and in most cases, with w/si foundations and concealers water is still the first ingredient. In any case, I would guess that starting from Polypropylsilsesquioxane everything is below 1%.
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Thank you. It can be hard to decipher them sometimes!
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BTW it doesn’t matter if it’s w/w or w/v, the order is the same, just the 1% line can differ
.In EU, it’s ordered by weight with reference to the 1% line, hence, the logic conclusion is w/w. Except for some liquids (ethanol), w/v is no longer in use.
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