Turn over any cosmetic sold in the United States or Europe and you will find a list of ingredients written in a shared naming system called INCI, the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. The names are standardised so that the same substance is called the same thing on every label in every country. Once you know four or five conventions, most lists become readable.
Order matters
Ingredients are listed in descending order of the amount used, down to one percent; below that level they may appear in any order. On our sprays the first name is Aqua, water, because water is the base. On Lavyl Auricum, Alcohol comes next, which is why that product carries the flammable caution and why its alcohol-free sister, Lavyl Auricum Sensitive, does not. The plant oils and extracts follow, and the fragrance components sit at the end because they are present in small amounts.
Plants are named in Latin
Lavandula Angustifolia is lavender; the words after it say which part and which form: Flower Oil, Flower Water, Extract. Rosmarinus Officinalis is rosemary, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis is sweet orange, Citrus Medica Vulgaris is citron, Melaleuca Alternifolia is tea tree, Cananga Odorata is ylang-ylang, Melissa Officinalis is lemon balm. On the Solvyl series the signature plant is Coriandrum Sativum, coriander, used as leaf extract, herb oil and seed oil. On Exyol SC the lead extract is Hippophae Rhamnoides, sea buckthorn. Our Ingredients page gives the common name and the cosmetic function for every one of these.
Functions, not promises
Each ingredient in a cosmetic has a declared cosmetic function in the European CosIng database: solvent, emollient, humectant, emulsifier, cleansing agent, fragrance, skin conditioning, preservative, colorant. These words describe what the ingredient does inside the formula. Skin conditioning, for instance, means the ingredient is there to leave the skin feeling soft or smooth; it is a description of role, not a claim about results. That is how we write about ingredients on this site and it is the most useful way to read them.
The long names at the end
Linalool, Limonene, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol and Farnesol are fragrance components that occur naturally inside essential oils such as lavender and citrus. EU rules require them to be listed separately when they exceed a set level so that people who know they react to one of them can check. They are not additives put in on purpose; they arrive with the oils.
A few other names you will meet
Tocopheryl Acetate is a form of vitamin E, used as an antioxidant to protect the oils in the formula. Retinyl Palmitate is a form of vitamin A used for skin conditioning. PEG-35 Castor Oil is an emulsifier that keeps essential oils evenly dispersed in a water-based spray so it does not separate. Lecithin, from plants, helps oils and water stay mixed. Sodium Hyaluronate is a humectant, an ingredient that holds water at the surface of the skin. CI 75810 is a colour index number for a natural green pigment derived from chlorophyll.
The label wins
We transcribe our ingredient lists from the product labels and keep them updated when packaging changes, but the printed label on the bottle in your hand is always the authoritative list. If you ever find a difference between a label and a product page, tell us and we will correct the page.