How to read a hair-oil label

An ingredient list is the most honest part of any bottle, if you know how to read it. This takes two minutes to learn and works on every product you own.

1. The order means something

Ingredients are listed using INCI, the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. The rule is simple: the list runs from the largest ingredient to the smallest. The first name is the main part of the formula. A name near the end is there in a small amount.

2. Know the two kinds of oil

• Carrier oils. Fixed oils pressed from nuts, seeds and fruit. They are the body of the formula: they condition, soften, seal and carry. Generally safe on skin.
• Essential oils. Aromatic compounds distilled from plants. They give scent and function, and are used in small amounts. They can irritate or sensitise, so they are never used undiluted.

This is why the number of essential oils on a label matters, and why the count has to be exact. No 01 has five carrier oils and five essential oils. No 02 has seven carrier oils, two essential oils and vitamin E.

3. Read No 01 as an example

In order, from largest to smallest: sweet almond oil, avocado oil, olive oil, argan oil, castor oil, then the five essential oils (rosemary, peppermint, sweet orange, Atlas cedarwood and geranium) and finally vitamin E (tocopherol).

• The first five are the carrier oils. They make up the body of the serum.
• The essential oils give the scent and the cooling tingle from peppermint.
• Sweet orange is not phototoxic, unlike bergamot or lime. That is the kind of detail a label hides unless you know to look.
• Vitamin E is an antioxidant. Its job is to slow the oils going rancid.

4. Why there is no preservative

Preservatives protect water-based products. Our formulas contain no water, so there is nothing for bacteria or mould to grow in. That is why there is no phenoxyethanol or paraben on the list. We did not remove them. The format never needed them.

The real risk with an oil blend is oxidation, which is why it has vitamin E and comes in amber glass. Amber glass blocks UV, and heat and light are what turn oils rancid. Store it somewhere cool and dark.

5. What else to check on any label

• Fragrance. If the scent comes from essential oils, they are listed by name. Synthetic fragrance appears as fragrance or parfum.
• Silicones. Names ending in -cone or -siloxane are silicones. They add smoothness that washes off. There are none in our formulas.
• A long list is not automatically a good list. What matters is what is first, and whether each ingredient has a job you can name.

What a label cannot tell you

The list tells you what is in the bottle, not whether it will work for your hair. It also does not replace a patch test. If you have a nut allergy, check for tree-nut oils first: No 01 and No 02 contain sweet almond oil, and No 02 also contains coconut oil.

Read next: Using essential oils safely.