How to Read an Ingredient Deck
Ingredient decks are notoriously misleading and here’s the story why….
As a consumer, it is next to impossible to know whether a product is mislabeled. Our best advice is to understand the law and make an effort to learn more about the company before you purchase.
The two most important laws pertaining to cosmetics marketed in the United States are the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). While the FDA has the governmental authority to enforce, the agency relies on the industry trade association, the PCPC (Personal Care Product Council) to set the standards. Once the standards are set, the FDA does not often “police” the industry beyond factory inspections.
The PCPC makes recommendations to the industry concerning ingredients and labeling. It is optional to follow those recommendations or even for a manufacturer to be a member of the PCPC. In order to create something of a binding assurance, the PCPC does have a contract manufacturers can opt to sign called the Consumer Commitment Code in which they agree to follow the recommendations of the PCPC in their business practices. The manufacturer of Morningside’s products has signed this contract and we closely follow both the Consumer Commitment Code and the above mentioned Federal Acts.
Neither the FDA nor the PCPC approves or tests products before they go to market. There is no follow-up with regard to label claims or ingredient decks. Furthermore, manufacturers are not required to register with the FDA, although they are encouraged to do so. Morningside LLC contracts exclusively with an FDA-inspected manufacturing facility that rigorously tests every product for quality, consistency, stability, and shelf-life.
Here’s what you need to know about labeling:
Assuming a manufacturer is following the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, the product will be labeled according to these basic rules.
1. All ingredients representing more than 1% of the total formulation must be listed first, and in order from largest to smallest percent. Morningside products typically have 3 to 8 ingredients that fall in this category. Don’t be concerned if water is listed. Water is a great ingredient, helping products maintain their proper consistency. Do be concerned if the deck starts off with herbal extracts as this may be more appropriate to a supplement than a bath product – or simply untrue!
2. Ingredients that represent less than 1% of the total formulation may be listed in any order, following the primary ingredients. Some manufacturers may even choose to omit some ingredients. Morningside LLC lists every single ingredient and orders the second part of the label starting with extracts and other beneficial ingredients, followed by preservatives that give shelf life, fragrance and color (if there is any).
3. Ingredients must be listed by their scientific names. You may not know that the scientific name for some great ingredients like vitamins sounds like artificial ingredients or chemicals. For example, Vitamin C is ascorbic acid and vitamin E is alpha Tocopheryl Acetate. This often adds confusion. It doesn’t have to! To learn more about ingredients, click here for our Ingredient Glossary.
View ingredient decks for all our products here
...