INCIdecoder (Decoding Product Ingredients)

I didn't realize how many people are unaware of a useful site called INCIdecoder. It's where you can "decode ingredient lists like a pro". (INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients.)

The site is so helpful - especially for people with allergies or who just want to know what's in their products and how those ingredients work in that product. Not only can you check ingredient lists but you can learn how to read basic them. But there are pros and cons.

PROS:

• You can just copy/paste the entire ingredient list for a product into the search bar to start. 
• I have at times, seen included on the info page, other products with "similar ingredients". That's useful.
• Not only can you search for products/ingredients but you can submit additions to be considered. 
• For products/ingredients you like (or dislike), you can find similar ones.
• You can search by copying/pasting the ingredient list of an item from one place (ex: Amazon, Walmart, etc) and pasting it into the search or by uploading a photo of the list (which is helpful when you have an actual product on hand).
• You can get a quick "skim through" of a product's ingredients rating showing what's considered good, best, and worst (aka: "Goodie", Superstar", and "Icky"!)
• With a login, you can save products you find to lists you create.

CONS:

• Searching by a product brand/label name can be tricky. I prefer to search by ingredients.
• Even when you create a login, there's no way to see your history (except by searching your own browser history).
• Quite a few common items (at least since I've used the site) are not yet in the database. However, this is why it's good to submit additions.
• I had to actually go off the site and Google to find where on the INCI irritancy level explanation. So they definitely need a good site map put together. 

The pros outweigh the cons and I love using the site - which I do mainly for cosmetics and other personal care products.

Pictures work better than words so, as an example of how the site works, I will share what is shown on a page for a random product. I picked Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water, which I use and love, by the way.

Notice that this one 
was an upload from an INCI user

"Trying Out" is 1 of my
custom lists

On the below Overview, clicking on the circled i will give bring up a thumbnail of info about the product

With options to Save, Compare,
Add Photo, etc.

In the pic below, the next-to-last column rates the level of irritancy (explained here). The last column shows the rating of 

As you can see, you can go deeper and deeper into explanations of ingredients by clicking on their links. Notice that for the Ginseng Water, there is no info for the root water, but it does give alternate names (also-called) for it that you might see on labels.

And, because so many of us gals are not already product junkies... LOL

It was nice to be able to click on "Skin-identical" and learn more about that type of ingredient. 

In case I wanted to know what some other skin-identical ingredients are, there's a list. I circled ingredients that I tend to really like. I am surprised that more natural oils aren't listed but this might not be a near-complete list.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you can't find a product by name, Google to find a list of the ingredients to copy/paste into INCI. The ingredients are the main thing you probably want to know about. Also, there are a lot of copy-cats of name-brand products so, again, it's about the ingredients.
• You can also Google the product + "INCI decoder" to see if a direct link comes up.
• When you find a product that you like, save it to a custom list so you can refer back for more products with (or without) certain ingredients.
• You might be able to find cheaper versions of products that you like and that work for you. I do this with hair care. Most of my favorites can be spendy so if I can find a copycat or something at least similar, then I'm willing to try it.

And know that this is not just for beauty and cosmetics - that's just all I ever used it for. When I was writing this post, I did a quick search and found things like household cleaners. I couldn't find Mr. Clean but found a Mrs. Meyers product! I found a list of Mr. Clean's ingredients online and did a copy/paste and got some info anyway.

My hope is that, with more and more people not only using the site but taking the time to submit products, INCI will become more complete. I'd love to see info on more cleaning products and afro-hair products and just more of everything.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Apologies for any incoherence. I'm really worn out & didn't spend a lot of time editing this post so... Enjoy it anyway.