Every pot, tube and bottle of make-up or skincare sold in Great Britain carries information that the law requires, and much of it is useful to anyone whose skin reacts to products. This guide explains what a label must show, how to read the ingredient list, how fragrance is declared, and what to do if a product seems to disagree with you.
What must a cosmetics label show?
According to GOV.UK guidance on making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain, the container and any outer packaging must carry:
- the name and address of the Responsible Person, the business or individual accountable for the product’s compliance;
- the country of origin, if the product is imported;
- the weight or volume;
- the date until which the product can be used;
- any precautions for use;
- an identification number, such as a batch number;
- what the product does;
- the ingredients, which may appear on the packaging alone.
The same guidance says the usage date and the weight or volume may not be required for contents under 5 g or 5 ml, such as free samples and single-application packs. Where space is limited, precautions and ingredients can go on a leaflet, with a symbol on the packaging pointing to it. Labelling and advertising must not imply characteristics or functions the product does not have.
How is the ingredient list ordered?
GOV.UK’s summary of the cosmetics regulation, as it applies in Great Britain, sets out the rules for the list. It must be headed or preceded by the word “ingredients”, and ingredients are named using the common names in the official glossary, which follows the INCI system (the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients). A second name in brackets is acceptable where conventions differ, such as “water (aqua)”.
The order is the part most worth knowing:
- Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, measured when each is added to the product.
- Ingredients below 1% may be listed in any order after those at 1% or more.
- Colourants other than hair colourants may be listed after the other ingredients, by Colour Index number or name.
- Nanomaterials must have “(nano)” immediately after the ingredient name.
A practical consequence: the first few names make up most of the product, and a reaction-prone ingredient far down the list may be present in a tiny amount, or in any position if it sits below the 1% line. Position alone does not tell you how much of a trace ingredient is there.
A worked example of reading the order
Imagine a list that begins “aqua, glycerin, …” and later reads “… phenoxyethanol, parfum, linalool”. Water is the largest ingredient by weight. Somewhere in the run, the list passes the 1% mark, and after that point the order carries no information about quantity. Phenoxyethanol, parfum and linalool could be in any sequence. This is illustrative only, not a real formula.
Why does “parfum” on a label matter?
Under the same rules, perfume and aroma ingredients are referred to collectively as “parfum” or “aroma”. A single word can therefore stand for a blend of many fragrance materials. For most people that is harmless. For someone with a fragrance allergy it is a limitation, which is why a second rule exists.
According to the GOV.UK summary, certain fragrance ingredients must also be labelled individually when they exceed threshold levels, in addition to the general fragrance wording. The thresholds are:
| Product type | Declaration threshold |
|---|---|
| Leave-on (for example a moisturiser) | 0.001% |
| Rinse-off (for example a shampoo) | 0.01% |
The guidance notes that the substances concerned are listed in Annex 3 of the regulation and does not reproduce the list. In practice, this is why some labels show names such as linalool or citronellol after “parfum”. Anyone who knows their trigger can search the list for it, or ask the manufacturer. Our guide to how a fragrance is built and chosen covers how these materials are used in perfumery.
What do the dates and symbols mean?
GOV.UK guidance refers to a date until which the product can be used, and to a “period after opening” marking. The period-after-opening symbol, an open cream jar with a number of months or years, is required for products with a minimum durability over 30 months, and appears on both the container and the outer packaging. It is not needed where there is no risk of harm after opening, such as single-use products or aerosols.
The separate GOV.UK guidance on consumer cosmetics lists optional symbols too: one for customer information enclosed or attached, one for a “best before” date, and the period-after-opening marking, in months or years. Warnings and precautions must appear in English on the container and outer packaging. Required warnings for specific substances come from the regulation’s annexes covering restricted substances, colours, preservatives and UV filters.
Using a product well beyond its date, or long past the period after opening, is not a regulatory matter so much as a practical one: preservative systems are designed to last for a stated time, and skin that suddenly reacts to a familiar product is a reason to look at how old it is.
Who checks that a product is safe?
Before a new cosmetic product is made available, GOV.UK guidance says, a qualified professional must assess its safety, and it must be notified to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). The assessor must hold a university degree in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline. The Responsible Person must keep a Product Information File in English for 10 years after the last batch is made available.
This system is designed to reduce risk, not remove it. A product can pass its assessment and still cause a reaction in a particular person, because allergy is individual.
How can you tell irritation from allergy?
The NHS describes contact dermatitis as skin that becomes itchy, blistered, dry and cracked. On lighter skin it may turn red; on darker skin it may turn dark brown, purple or grey. Symptoms usually appear within a few hours or days of exposure, and the hands and face are most commonly affected, though any part of the body can be.
There are two types:
- Irritant contact dermatitis is the most common. Irritants directly damage the outer layer of skin. The NHS lists soaps, detergents, solvents and regular contact with water.
- Allergic contact dermatitis is less common. Allergens trigger an immune response. The NHS says the first contact sensitises the body without a visible reaction, and a later exposure causes the skin to become red and itchy.
Its list of common allergen sources includes cosmetic ingredients such as preservatives, fragrances, hair dye and nail varnish hardeners, as well as metals such as nickel or cobalt in jewellery. Because sensitisation builds over time, a product used without trouble for years can still, eventually, provoke a reaction. A strong active ingredient can cause irritation without any allergy involved; our explainer on starting retinol and retinoids describes that distinction in practice.
What should you do if a product disagrees with your skin?
The NHS self-care advice is straightforward:
- Avoid the irritant or allergen. The skin usually clears once contact stops.
- If you touch a trigger, rinse the area with warm water and apply an emollient as soon as possible.
- Check ingredient lists on products such as make-up and soap, or contact the manufacturer.
- Apply emollients often and generously to keep skin hydrated.
A pharmacist can help if the condition is troubling you. The NHS advises seeing a GP for persistent, recurrent or severe symptoms; the GP may try to identify the cause and, if the trigger cannot be found or symptoms do not respond to treatment, may refer you to a dermatologist.
Keeping a note of what you used and when is useful for that conversation. Photograph the ingredient list before you discard the packaging, since it is the main clue.
What does patch testing involve?
The NHS describes patch testing as the best way to test for a reaction to allergens. Small amounts of known allergens are placed on the skin, held in place with non-allergic tape, usually on the back and sometimes on the upper arms. The patches are removed on day 2 and the skin is checked, then checked again on day 4, because most allergic contact dermatitis reactions take about that long to develop. The NHS page does not cover preparation or what to avoid beforehand, so follow your dermatologist’s instructions.
The test is a clinical procedure carried out on referral. It differs from a do-it-yourself dab of product on the inner arm, which cannot replicate it. Trying a new product on a small area first is a common precaution, but a quiet result does not guarantee the product is safe for you.
A label is a starting point
A cosmetics label is a regulated summary: who is responsible, what the product contains in broad order, which fragrance materials cross a threshold, and how long it should last. Reading it carefully will not predict every reaction, but it gives you a record to check against when your skin tells you something. Sun protection products have their own additional labelling conventions, covered in our guide to SPF and UVA star ratings, and a similar habit of reading small print applies to clothing, as in reading clothing care labels.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a persistent, recurrent or severe skin reaction, speak to a pharmacist, your GP or a dermatologist.
Sources: GOV.UK (Making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain); GOV.UK (Consumer products: cosmetics); GOV.UK (Regulation 1223/2009 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013: Great Britain); NHS (Contact dermatitis); NHS (Contact dermatitis: diagnosis); NHS (Contact dermatitis: causes)
