How Trustworthy is The Cosmetic Ingredient Database, CosDNA?

We here at the Klog, american samoa much as possible, want the Klog to be a conversation. sol, when a bunch together of you reached out to us about CosDNA, we decided that we needed to do some excavation .

first, we reached out to CosDNA who were not available for comment ( we will update this post if they respond ). then we decided to reach out to beauty industry experts : Michelle aka Lab Muffin, a PhD in chemistry who has made it her mission to show that anyone can understand the skill behind clamber care and beauty, and Stephen Ko or Kind of Stephen, Reddit ’ s resident Cosmetic Chemist. here ’ s what we found…

What is CosDNA?

CosDNA, at its identical kernel, is a product and component database. Users are able to submit products and ingredients to CosDNA for review.
For product reviews, CosDNA rates each ingredient for function, UV, acne, irritant, and safety. Comedogenic/acne, annoyance, and base hit are rated on a scale from 1-9. The lower the act, the less casual it will irritate the bark. For many ingredients, there will be spot leave blank mean that there is no datum for this particular component ( not inevitably that the ingredient is safe or insecure ).
For component reviews, CosDNA will review the function for a intersection, adenine well as its molecular burden and CAS number. The CAS number, besides referred to as CASRN, is short for CAS Registry Number. This number is assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service ( CAS ) and is alone and individual per chemical means as found in open scientific literature .

Is the information on CosDNA is legitimate?

The short answer: It ’ s heavily to say.
Speaking with Michelle, she tells me, “ I actually don ’ t actually like CosDNA because they don ’ thyroxine cite their sources, which makes it impossible to tell if the information is legitimate. They just say, ‘ our data source include external experts, institutions, and publications, ’ which means you can ’ t even check. ”
Stephen expressed exchangeable distrust, saying, “ CosDNA lists some of the resources they use, but they don ’ triiodothyronine tilt or source the specific literature for each claim. So it ’ s impossible to know whether the datum was gathered on humans, animal models, or something else. In terms of comedogenicity, rabbit ears were a common mannequin but is no long considered relevant to humans. In terms of toxicity, the results from a 100 % assiduity of the ingredient vs. a 10 % concentration of the component are likely to produce very different results. ”

Is there a downside to only looking at ratings for products?

Stephen explains : “ I think if you ’ re only using ratings as the merely source, then you ’ re missing out on a set of potential things. We ’ ve probably all liked a movie despite a low Rotten Tomatoes rat or disliked one with a gamey rating. It ’ south unmanageable to compress data down to a number. besides keep in mind ingredient lists aren ’ metric ton very transparent ; we don ’ t have much information in truth in terms of concentration of the ingredient.
“ We besides don ’ metric ton know the aim, ” he says. “ For model silica can be used as an absorbent, a thickening, or in some cases as an encapsulating substantial. It besides comes in different particle sizes, and porosities—so will have different functions in the product american samoa well. But all those materials from different suppliers and companies are wholly listed as silica. ”
Michelle adds, “ Ingredients can interact and have different effects in the final examination product, plus the percentages make a boastful difference ( the acid makes the poison ). ”
asian Beauty Reddit users seemed assorted on the legitimacy of CosDNA. Some said that they do have bark that broadly agrees with CosDNA ratings and consequently found the database helpful. Others disagreed, feeling that CosDNA overreacts and red flags a batch of ingredients which are not generally dangerous or bad for their skin and consequently, they take each rating with a grain of salt .

Is there a downside to looking at specific ingredients over “big picture” products?

absolutely. Michelle explains to me that, “ a lot of the time comedogenicity, ” which is a primary rationality that people use databases like CosDNA, “ is a result of the combination of different ingredients, and percentages frequently can ’ thyroxine be worked out from the ingredients list. ”
Stephen agrees : “ It ’ d be like visiting a bakery and just being shown the ingredients of the confections and ordering based off that. Things like ingredient lists may feel like data, but they ’ re not a robust as they may seem. ”
asian Beauty Reddit users expressed exchangeable sentiments. User herezy explained that “ Aside from the arbitrary nature of the ratings, the problem with viewing ingredients individually is you miss the bigger mental picture : ingredients concentration matters a lot, and ingredients interact between each others. A simpleton exemple is PH adjusters. They ’ re super acidic or ace basic, which is dangerous to skin, but if they ’ re used in bantam quantities to adjust the overall PH, they ’ rhenium beneficial as hell. besides, alcohols are drying, but they can be used to make super humectant-rich products less muggy, so the overall intersection might be extremely hydrate. ”

What’s the right way to use an ingredient database?

Michelle tells us, simply, “ with a massive grain of salt ! ” Stephen agrees : “ I think they ’ re a great direction to look up ingredient lists and do some basic and agile, comparisons. I hush think reviewers are the best way to capture the holistic results and experience of a product. ”

Are there any ingredient databases that people should use instead of CosDNA?

Stephen tells us, “ I think it ’ south credibly best to visit a variety of different sources and come up to a conclusion of your own. No database is the ‘ best ’ or complete. many people have moved into this grocery store, some using AI and other buzzwordy terms, but the reality is that the datum is generally lacking and much not comparable for ingredients. ”
Michelle says, “ I like that Paula ’ second Choice tells you a act more about the ingredients and they cite their sources, although a batch of the clock their sources don ’ t say what they claim it says. I haven ’ thymine used INCIDecoder a lot so far but from looking around it a bit I ’ m not sure I trust the descriptions—I think they might get some of their information from Truth in Aging which isn ’ thyroxine very reliable. ”

The Bottom Line

ingredient and product databases can provide some insights into whether you should buy a product or not before buying, but nothing beats real reviews and trying the product itself. Databases, particularly ones which don ’ thyroxine cite their sources, should be taken with a grain of salt. Pay attention to your component lists, but they shouldn ’ triiodothyronine be your alone source of literature. The best way to test products for yourself is to patch test in order to understand how your skin reacts .

+ Do you use CosDNA? What has been your experience? Share with us below!

plowshare