The Contents Of A Cosmetic Label

The ancient times bestowed the commodity "cosmetics" only to the wealthy nobility. The elitist class utilized materials to enhance their essence of beauty. For example, Cleopatra lined her beautiful eyes with kohl. Those cosmetics contained harmful elements albeit their cost and limited accessibility. These components caused severe allergies, metal poisoning, muscle paralysis and even death.

Yet, 20th century saw cosmetics move into the daily beauty regime of almost every woman. Nowadays, gone are the days of painful beauty. Today, the cosmetic industry has grown into a 170 million dollar sector. The plethora of cosmetic products now available is both safe and secure. The cosmetics are regularized and labeled as per the federal standards. Decades of stringent testing brought products with specific labels. This acquiesced with the safety norms requiring the manufacturers to enlist the ingredients and their concentration.

Decoding the cosmetic label:
The cosmetic label contains the enunciated information.

Identification of the manufacturer
Cosmetics allure with packages, "new" ingredients, taglines etc that springs an eternal hope in the minds of the consumer. In addition to all this, it is important for the manufacturer to include their original names, head office address and the country, which houses the production unit. The idea is to directly commune with the cosmetic manufacturer if the need arises.

The description of the products, advantages and usage directions
The product description area is like a review. However, it is often claimed to be true and accurate but they can also have misleading ambiguous content. Clarifying is important. Warnings and special instructions should be included in the label. The consumer should conduct an elbow test before using a new product.

The ingredients of the cosmetic
International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients states that personal care beauty products should list their ingredients. They are stated in the descending order of concentration and in their scientific names.

Manufacturers are not obligated to enlist all their ingredients or disclose the composition. These are known as the hidden elements. The consumer should be careful to choose the type of products to prevent any sort of hazardous accident.

The measures and weights
The ingredients are always measured in volume.

Symbols on the label

• Jar Icon: This would indicate the stipulated time of the product to remain fresh after it has been opened. The organic products customarily have a shelf life of 12 months.

• Triangular Recycling symbol: Found on plastic containers, it tells two things. Firstly, the type of recycling program that is necessary for the particular bottle. Lastly, it tells the composition type of the container. Some plastics have the possibility to react and leach chemicals into the products.

• Certified organic logo: The recurring symbols which represents the organic or the natural product. Ensure to check the guidelines before purchasing.

• Tree with check mark: This means that the product is organic but not necessarily natural.

The cosmetic labels should be read as carefully as the food labels. They are applied on the skin and therefore, should not contain any components that are toxic and or which is detrimental to health.