In the case of cosmetic products, the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) describes the correct indication of the ingredients.

This should give allergy sufferers in particular the opportunity to check a product for questionable ingredients BEFORE buying it.

The ingredients are listed with their INCI designations in descending order of their weight (proportion) at the time of manufacture of the cosmetic product. Ingredients less than 1% may be listed in any order after those greater than 1%.

As a manufacturer of cosmetics, you are obliged to use these designations. This is not always in the interest of the customer, since most of the terms are not known to them. For example, the shea butter is listed as "Butyrospermum parkii butter". It is all the more important that there are brands that you can trust and allergy sufferers should of course know which substances to look out for.

fragrances

Smelling or flavoring substances and their starting materials can be summarized as perfume, fragrance or aroma. There are currently 26 potentially allergenic fragrances listed for perfumes. These must be declared on the products or in product information (website, packaging). Unfortunately, the INCI designation "Parfum" does not tell you whether the fragrance is of natural or synthetic origin.

How about No Bullsh!t? I only use natural, organic essential oils. The scent plays an important role in my products - because I love scents. Nevertheless, my products are very subtly perfumed and I don't differentiate between men's and women's fragrances.

Much more important to me is the fact that essential oils have a holistic effect on people. I am fascinated by this concentrated plant power in every single drop and what effect the oils have on our well-being. The essential oils play an important role in my products and I don't just perfume a product "so that it smells good".

Because I am aware that not everyone likes fragrances and that many people are allergic to the ingredients mentioned - I try to offer a fragrance-free version NUDE for all my products. The recipe remains, the only difference: no fragrances are added. For example, the Deodorant Cream Nude.

The new hand soap is also available in a NUDE version. For the perfumed hand soap "Lemon Aid" I use oils that have a strong antiviral and antibacterial effect . Which, of course, increases the benefits of the product. That's what I find so cool about essential oils - they are power packs. All the better if these oils also smell freshly of eucalyptus and, in combination with lemon, create a wonderful scent for the hand soap.

No Bullsh!t stands for honest cosmetics. I only use natural ingredients and recipes that focus on the essentials.

In my blog series "Knowing what's in it" I present the individual ingredients of my products. Next time: The Shea Butter.

*Sources: Wikipedia / Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 on cosmetic products