About Behind The INCI
WHERE THE
LABEL ENDS,
the story begins.
Independent skincare journalism. No brand partnerships. No sponsored content. No affiliate links. Just the science, the evidence, and the questions the industry does not want you asking.
The Origin
"I spent years inside the cosmetic industry. The more I learned, the more I realised how much was being hidden in plain sight — right there on the label, in a language most people had never been taught to read."
My name is Mara Sollis. I am the founder and editor of Behind The INCI. I spent years working inside the cosmetic industry — close enough to understand how formulas are built, how claims are constructed, and how the gap between the two is managed. What I found was not a conspiracy. It was something more mundane and more pervasive: a systematic misalignment between what brands say and what their ingredient lists support.
The INCI list is the one document in skincare that cannot lie. It is a regulated, standardised, internationally recognised declaration of exactly what is in a product, in descending order of concentration. Brands cannot put an ingredient on the INCI list that is not there. They cannot omit one that is. What they can do — and what many do — is build marketing narratives that the INCI list does not support.
I built Behind The INCI because I wanted a publication that treated its readers as intelligent adults who deserved to know what was actually in the products they were spending money on. Not a review site. Not a brand directory. Journalism — the kind that asks uncomfortable questions and publishes the answers regardless of who they inconvenience.
We are based in Melbourne, Australia. We are independent. We answer to our readers.
Mara Sollis
Founder & Editor, Behind The INCI · Melbourne, Australia
3,000+
Individual fragrance chemicals can hide behind the single word 'Parfum' on an INCI list. This is legal. This is what we write about.
Our Mission
To make the INCI list the most powerful consumer tool in skincare.
Educate
Teach readers to read an INCI list with the same fluency that a formulator does. Demystify the naming conventions, the concentration rules, and the regulatory framework.
Investigate
Hold brands accountable for the gap between their marketing claims and what their INCI lists actually support. Publish the findings without fear or favour.
Empower
Give readers the knowledge to make genuinely informed purchasing decisions — not decisions driven by marketing spend, influencer endorsements, or packaging design.
What We Stand For
Five values that govern everything we publish.
Radical Transparency
Every claim we make is sourced. Every source is cited. Every citation is checkable. If we cannot verify something, we say so explicitly. The INCI list is the most transparent document in the skincare industry — we hold ourselves to the same standard.
Editorial Independence
Behind The INCI accepts no brand partnerships, no sponsored content, no affiliate commissions, and no free products in exchange for coverage. Our only financial relationship is with our readers. This is not a virtue — it is a structural requirement for doing this work honestly.
Scientific Rigour
We distinguish between in vitro evidence, in vivo evidence, and peer-reviewed clinical trials. We note sample sizes. We note funding sources. We note when a study was conducted by the brand whose product it evaluates. Marketing claims are not evidence. We treat them accordingly.
Accessibility Without Compromise
Cosmetic chemistry is genuinely complex. We do not simplify it into inaccuracy. We explain it in plain language without removing the nuance. Our readers are intelligent — they do not need the science dumbed down, they need it translated.
Accountability
When we get something wrong, we correct it publicly and prominently. We do not quietly edit articles without disclosure. We do not delete criticism. We do not block readers who disagree. Corrections are published with the date and a clear explanation of what changed and why.
The Foundation
What is an INCI list?
INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. It is the standardised naming system for cosmetic ingredients, developed by the Personal Care Products Council and adopted globally. Every cosmetic product sold in Australia, the EU, the US, and most other regulated markets must list its ingredients using INCI names, in descending order of concentration.
Standardised
The same ingredient has the same INCI name regardless of brand, country, or price point. 'Niacinamide' is Niacinamide whether it appears in a $10 serum or a $300 treatment. This makes cross-product comparison possible.
Ordered by Concentration
Ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration above 1%. The first ingredient is present in the highest amount — usually water. If an active ingredient appears near the bottom of the list, it is likely present in trace amounts only.
Legally Regulated
In Australia, INCI labelling is governed by the ACCC and the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. Brands cannot add ingredients to the INCI list that are not in the formula, nor omit ingredients that are. The INCI list is the most honest document a brand produces.
How We Investigate
Our investigation methodology.
Every Brand Exposed investigation follows the same five-step process. No shortcuts. No exceptions. The methodology is published so readers can evaluate our conclusions independently.
Obtain the INCI list
Every investigation starts with the official INCI list from the product packaging or the brand's website. We do not rely on third-party ingredient databases, which are frequently incomplete or out of date.
Verify the claims
We catalogue every marketing claim made for the product — on packaging, in advertising, on the brand's website. Each claim is then assessed against the INCI list and the available clinical literature.
Check the evidence
For each active ingredient, we review the peer-reviewed literature. We note study design, sample size, funding source, and whether the evidence relates to the ingredient in isolation or the finished product.
Assess concentration
We evaluate the likely concentration of each active based on its position in the INCI list, known formulation conventions, and any disclosed percentages. We distinguish between functional concentrations and marketing concentrations.
Score and publish
We assign an INCI Transparency Score from 1–10 based on the alignment between the brand's claims and what the INCI list supports. All scores include a written rationale. Brands are not contacted before publication.
Editorial Charter
What we will never do.
These are not aspirations. They are structural commitments. The moment Behind The INCI violates any of these, the publication loses the only thing that makes it worth reading: its independence.
Accept brand partnerships or sponsored content of any kind
Use affiliate links for product recommendations
Make therapeutic, medicinal, or TGA-regulated claims about cosmetic ingredients
Present brand-funded marketing studies as independent clinical evidence
Fabricate, misrepresent, or selectively quote clinical study findings
Use INCI names incorrectly, interchangeably, or outside their regulatory definition
Publish a Brand Exposed investigation without disclosing our methodology
Quietly edit published articles without a visible correction notice
Accept free products, press trips, or brand hospitality
Allow advertiser relationships to influence editorial coverage
What We Are Building
Behind The INCI is more than a website.
Articles
LiveLong-form ingredient analysis, brand investigations, and formulation science. Published every second day.
Explore →Newsletter
LiveThe weekly INCI Briefing. Ingredient of the week, brand under the microscope, and the formulation question we are currently investigating.
Explore →Podcast
Coming SoonWeekly conversations about the business and science of skin. Longer form, more opinionated, more timely.
Video
Coming SoonShort-form INCI breakdowns. We read the label so you know what you are actually buying.
Press & Media
For journalists, podcasters, and media professionals.
Behind The INCI is available for media commentary on cosmetic ingredient science, brand transparency, and the gap between marketing claims and clinical evidence. Mara Sollis is available for interviews, podcast appearances, and expert commentary. We respond to all press enquiries within 48 hours.
Response Time
Within 48 hours
For all press and media enquiries
Media Kit
About Behind The INCI
Behind The INCI is an independent skincare journalism platform founded in Melbourne, Australia. We publish long-form ingredient analysis, brand investigations, and formulation science. We accept no brand partnerships or sponsored content.
About Mara Sollis
Mara Sollis is the founder and editor of Behind The INCI. She spent years working inside the cosmetic industry before founding BINCI to hold brands accountable for the gap between their marketing claims and their INCI lists.
Coverage Areas
Cosmetic ingredient science, INCI list analysis, brand transparency, formulation chemistry, the cost of goods in skincare, and the business of beauty conglomerates.
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The weekly INCI Briefing lands every Monday. One ingredient deep-dive, one brand under the microscope, one formulation question answered. Free, always.