FYI: The Ingredient List

Shopping around for a good grooming product can be an arduous task. We are constantly bombarded with million-dollar marketing campaigns and pseudo-scientific claims, but simply not given the facts we need to pick the right product.

Like many of the packaged food and drink we consume everyday, most of these toiletries come with something that enables you to methodologically determine if they suit your needs or otherwise. I present to you - the humble ingredient list.

With chemical names like butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and cyclomethicone being thrown around, it's no wonder the general consumer goes WTF?!? However, once you've analysed a few shampoos here and a couple of age-defying creams there, it will become apparent to you that most of them actually utilise many of the same components - from prestigious departmental store labels like Aramis and Clarins right down to drugstore brands such as Nivea and L'oreal. In case you don't already know, much of the price difference is attributed to advertising costs, packaging and of course, brand prestige anyway.

Some basic pointers to help you decipher an ingredient list:

1) Ingredients are almost always listed by quantity in descending order.

2) Most of the active ingredients are found at the top of the list. Therefore anything listed near the bottom or perservatives and fragrance are pointless. So the next time you see a product boasting miraculous sea kelp, Vit C or some super duper thingo, but yet they're listed waaaaay waaay down... it's just so they can say it's in there and simply don't do jack.

3) Usually sunscreen components are listed separately as active ingredients. This is a good thing, and shows that an effective amount has been formulated into the product for it to work.

4) If alcohol is one of the first few ingredients, keep moving... unless you plan to use a product that will dry your skin unnecessarily.

5) If you don't know what an ingredient does, Google it. Or check it out at informative sites like CosmeticsInfo or Cosmetics Cop. Pretty soon, you'll come across them enough to remember their properties and rattling off chemical names like a pro.

Next lesson - how to fend off preying sales reps at departmental store counters. Do not let their white shiny lab coats deceive you!