Grouping and order

The default rule

A cosmetic in package form declares its ingredients in descending order of predominance. That is the baseline for every cosmetic and it is what most of this library assumes.

The alternative for this category

Ingredients other than color additives present above 1 percent, in descending order. Then ingredients other than color additives at not more than 1 percent, without respect to order. Then color additives, without respect to order of predominance.

Why that matters for a pigment product

A mineral makeup can contain a dozen colorants at small and varying percentages across shades. Ordering them strictly would make every shade a different declaration, and the concession is what makes a shared label possible.

And the sub-1-percent group may be merged upward

The regulation says ingredients in the not-more-than-1-percent group may be included with the above-1-percent group and listed in descending order. So you can be more precise than the concession requires if you prefer.

It is an alternative, not a replacement

Strict descending order remains available and correct. The grouping is there for products where it helps, and choosing it is a decision to record rather than a default to drift into.

Be consistent across a range

A range where some shades use strict order and others use the grouping reads as careless and makes the labels harder to check. Pick one and apply it.

The concession does not touch the listings

Grouping changes how colors are presented, not whether they are permitted. A color unlisted for the use is unlisted however it appears in the declaration.

Record which form you chose, and why

Both are correct and they produce visibly different labels. A note in the file saying the grouping was chosen because the shade range shares a base turns a later reviewer's question into a one-line answer.

References