5 reasons to start reading ingredient lists on your cosmetic products

There's a special-snowflake-harboring saying I used to always hear from my mom every time I go home crying because some kids told me I was ugly: it's what inside that counts. But even if I've grown to accept my looks, I still hold the cringe-worthy advice dear, especially with skin care.

There are women who refuse to think critically at the sight of fancy boxes, smell of subtle notes and high price tags. There are people whose skin might be too sensitive or problematic, yet they try various products until they finally find by accident what would work for them or until they finally give up with the mess on their faces. There are greenwashed consumers who automatically dismiss perfectly safe products just because "the ingredients are hard to read, therefore it is harmful", then swap these working, cheap products with more expensive and less effective, "earth-friendly" ones.

If you are one of those, or just curious, this one's for you.

There are advantages to reading ingredient lists in most things we consume - from food to cosmetics. The obvious reason has to be health, but here are five more reasons to do it.

1. It can save you money.

While celebrities and socialites can definitely support a Creme de la Mer for their moisturizer, it would be a crime to use a cream worth almost enough to pay a minimum wage earner here in the Philippines. If obvious product type labels do not convince you, looking at ingredient lists will let you know what a product is supposed to do, enabling you to find dupes. You may search from databases for products will almost similar ingredients, or do a quick Google search for "<insert expensive cream here> dupes". Your pockets will thank you. (For giggles, try typing Creme de la Mer dupes")

2. It can prevent further damage to the skin.

No two people are alike and the same goes for skin. Someone's holy grail could be your big no-no product simply because a couple of ingredients in it may be irritating, comedogenic, or can cause an allergy on your skin. Testing a product on obscure patches on your skin (I try this on my right neck just below my ears since my hair can hide this patch),coupled with ingredient know-how can help you find your HG product without seriously aggravating your skin's situation.

3. It gives a prediction of what a product really does.

The beauty industry is no stranger to products with miraculous claims - anti-aging, pore shrinking, anti-wrinkle, and last but not the least, whitening. Check product ingredient lists. Anti-aging? It should have a stable, Vitamin C in there somewhere. Pore shrinking? Ingredients promoting exfoliation and proper cleansing should make the pores LOOK smaller. Anti-wrinkle? The product should have a form of retinoid in it. Whitening? If it's not sunscreen, it should have Niacinamide, Hydroquinone, Arbutin, and other pigment inhibiting ingredients should be there.

4. It can provide you product alternatives.

Let's say you unfortunately run out of your favorite product. Here in the Philippines, Innisfree can only be bought from online sellers usually from outside the country. Taking time to care for ingredients can help you find an easy replacement.While not exactly your HG, at least there is something to use on the fly.

5. You can really check if it really is "eco-friendly", "organic" or "natural"

I find it really disgusting whenever I see brands claiming their product is organic when it is not, yet they sell it at a high price point, similar to the real organic products. If you're really concerned with the footprint your cosmetics use would leave behind, don't rely on labels and do your own research. In the Philippines, there is no regulating body on organic products, so any company can easily put organic, natural or eco-friendly labels on their products.

Do you read cosmetic labels? Feel free to comment below.