SEDE 101
Ingredient labels can look like a wall of Latin names and chemistry terms. Here's how to actually read one — and what to watch for.
Ingredients Are Listed by Concentration
Under Health Canada's cosmetic labelling rules, ingredients present at 1% or more must be listed in descending order — the first ingredient is the most concentrated, and so on down the list. Ingredients below 1% can appear in any order after that. So if you want to know what a product is mostly made of, look at the first few names, not the whole list.
Those Latin Names Aren't Trying to Confuse You
INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) names are standardized scientific names, used so an ingredient is identified the same way worldwide, regardless of language. "Butyrospermum Parkii Butter" is just Shea Butter. "Rosa Canina Fruit Oil" is Rosehip Oil. Most labels add the common name in brackets to help — ours do too.
What Those Asterisks Mean
You may notice ingredients like Linalool, Limonene, or Geraniol at the end of a list, marked with an asterisk. These aren't separate additives — they're naturally occurring compounds already present within essential oils used in the formula (like Lavender or Bergamot), and Health Canada requires them to be individually disclosed once they cross a certain concentration, since some people are sensitive to them specifically. Seeing them isn't a red flag — it's a transparency requirement, and a good sign the brand is disclosing accurately.
Watch For: "Fragrance" or "Parfum" as a Single Line Item
This is one of the biggest gaps in cosmetic labelling. A product can legally list "Fragrance" or "Parfum" as one line, without disclosing what's actually in that fragrance blend — because fragrance formulas are often considered proprietary. This is exactly why we scent every SEDE product with real, named essential oils (Lavender, Bergamot, Eucalyptus, and so on) instead of an undisclosed fragrance blend — what's in the bottle is what's on the label, by name.
Watch For: "Proprietary Blend"
Similar issue — a "proprietary blend" lets a brand group several ingredients together without disclosing individual amounts. It's not inherently dishonest, but it does mean you can't see the full picture. We don't use this on any SEDE label.
A Quick Label-Reading Checklist
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Water/Aqua first? Normal — most formulas are water-based, and this isn't a red flag.
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Recognize the first 5 ingredients? That tells you what the product is mostly made of.
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See "Fragrance" or "Parfum" alone? You won't know exactly what's creating that scent.
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See named essential oils instead? That's full disclosure.
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Asterisked ingredients at the end? Normal allergen disclosure — not a hidden additive.
The SEDE Standard
Every SEDE label lists every ingredient by name — no undisclosed fragrance blends, no proprietary formulas hiding what's actually inside. What's on the label is what's in the bottle, every time.
Pure Ingredients. Real Recovery. Feel the SEDE Difference.
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