Ingredients are listed from most to least. Here is what the order tells you, and what it doesn't.
Every cosmetic sold in the US and Europe lists its ingredients in descending order of concentration, down to 1 percent. Below that line, ingredients can appear in any order.
What the order tells you
If an ingredient a product is named after sits near the end of the list, there is probably very little of it. Water, glycerin and oils usually lead, because they make up the body of the formula.
What it doesn't
Order says nothing about how much is enough. Some actives work at 0.5 percent; others need 10. That is why we print the percentage of every active on our labels, next to what it does.
