Skincare Ingredients and their INCI names

International law requires that the ingredients are stated on the packaging using the name approved by INCI.

The unfortunate aspect of the INCI is that it makes no differentiation between various ingredients that can be quite different in action, meaning that both natural and synthetic ingredients get the same name!

The unfortunate aspect of the INCI nomenclature is that it makes no differentiation between various ingredients that can be quite different in action. As an example that is easy to follow there are many types of Vitamin E.

Some are natural, some are synthetic, some are effective, some are not, but under INCI they all have the same name. Every ingredient in the Xtend-Life skincare range has strong clinical evidence supporting its efficacy and safety.

Let's take a look at Alcohol, one of the common ingredient used in skincare products. There are two types of alcohol used in skincare products. Petroleum-based and natural plant-based. Xtend-Life does not use any petroleum derived products. The type of alcohols that are found as part of an ingredient are natural, non drying to the skin and should not be confused with alcohols used by some other manufacturers which may have a negative effect on the skin.

Warren Matthews, Xtend-Life Chairman, says that the INCI was established to ensure that cosmetic ingredients are consistently listed using the same ingredient name from product to product.

"In almost every country the cosmetic regulatory agency requires that all cosmetics include a listing of ingredients using the standardized INCI name for each ingredient," he says. "Using consistent ingredient names on product labels allows consumers the ability to easily compare the ingredients between multiple products although this can be misleading as the INCI name can be the same whether the ingredient is sourced from plants or petroleum."

"So, what we have now done is put together detailed info on all the ingredients that we use in our skin care products which also explains the source. The purpose of this info is to enable you to determine exactly what is in your Xtend-Life skin care products and put your mind at ease knowing that the ingredients are indeed derived from natural sources and they are safe as we claim, even though some of them may have odd sounding chemical names."

This detailed list can be found here.