Why drug-labelled products are not on this site

The rule, in short

This site does not recommend or rank any product that carries a drug claim or drug labelling. That covers a sun-protection or SPF claim, a Drug Facts panel, a claimed antibacterial or antiperspirant active ingredient, and an anti-dandruff active ingredient. Such products can be named as examples on brand pages, and nowhere else.

This is our editorial rule, not a legal requirement. We work from documents and have not tested products. The reasons below come from FDA pages we read on 2026-11-14.

How the FDA separates drugs from cosmetics

The FDA page on cosmetics, drugs and soap says whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug “is determined by a product’s intended use”, that different laws and regulations apply to each, and that firms sometimes market a cosmetic with a drug claim. It lists deodorants, moisturizers and cleansing shampoos among cosmetics, and describes drugs as articles articles intended for use in the diagnosis, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease (the FDA page lists the full statutory wording, which we paraphrase here) or intended to affect the structure or function of the body.

It also says some products are both. Its examples: an antidandruff shampoo is a cosmetic because it cleanses hair and a drug because it is intended to treat dandruff; deodorants that are also antiperspirants, and moisturizers and makeup marketed with sun-protection claims, are cosmetic/drug products. Such products “must comply with the requirements for both cosmetics and drugs.”

That is why a front-of-pack word or a plain ingredient list is not the whole picture for these products. The same page adds that the term “cosmeceutical” has no meaning under the law.

What drug labelling looks like

FDA’s OTC Drug Facts page says labels on all over-the-counter medicines, “from a bottle of sunscreen to a bottle of cough syrup”, list information in the same order and style. Its headings include Active Ingredient(s), Purpose(s), Use(s), Warning(s), Directions and Inactive Ingredients. It describes active ingredients as the substances that cause the intended therapeutic effect, and inactive ingredients as “substances such as binders, colors or flavorings.”

So on a drug-labelled product, the “inactive ingredients” line is only one part of the label, set under drug rules. Checking that line for fragrance terms, as we do on our fragrance-free vs unscented and ingredient list guides, answers one question about a product whose active ingredient, purpose and warnings matter just as much. That is a health-adjacent decision, and we do not give medical advice.

The categories this affects here

Sunscreen and SPF. FDA’s sunscreen page says FDA regulates sunscreens “as it does with other nonprescription drug products”, that sunscreens carry a Drug Facts label, and that every FDA-regulated drug product has active and inactive ingredients. It lists active ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Sunscreen lip products and makeup with an SPF claim fall into the same group, as the cosmetic-or-drug page says of makeup with sun-protection claims.

Antiperspirants. The FDA cosmetic-or-drug page treats a deodorant that is also an antiperspirant as a cosmetic/drug product. A plain deodorant without that claim is a cosmetic on the same page, so our fragrance-free deodorant roundup covers deodorants only.

Antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer. An FDA consumer update says that for nonprescription antibacterial products, the word “antibacterial” generally appears on the label, they may contain benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride or chloroxylenol, and a Drug Facts label on a soap or body wash “is a sign a product contains antibacterial ingredients.” It also says the 2016 final rule removed 19 active ingredients, including triclosan and triclocarban, from consumer antiseptic washes, and that the rule does not apply to hand sanitizers or hand wipes. For plain options see the hand soap and soap roundups.

Anti-dandruff shampoo. FDA’s own example makes an anti-dandruff shampoo a cosmetic and a drug at once. Our shampoo roundup excludes these, and the separate dandruff shampoo page covers the category.

Examples the brand pages name

These appear on brand pages as range examples, not as picks, and the same exclusion applies to each:

• Aveeno Baby Sunscreen Lotion, Zinc Oxide SPF 50, on the Aveeno page.
• Aquaphor Lip Protectant and Sunscreen Ointment, on the Aquaphor page.
• Clinique Even Better Makeup SPF 15 and Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation SPF 25, plus an antiperspirant-deodorant roll-on, on the Clinique page.
• Arm & Hammer ULTRAMAX Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Invisible Solid Unscented, on the Arm & Hammer page.
• Dial Antibacterial & Sensitive Fragrance Free foaming and liquid hand soaps, with benzalkonium chloride as the Drug Facts active ingredient, on the Dial page.
• CeraVe’s mineral sunscreen and anti-dandruff shampoos, mentioned in CeraVe vs Cetaphil.

Several of these show no fragrance term in the maker’s list. That does not change the rule, because the rule is about labelling category and not about a fragrance finding.

What to do instead

Use the roundups for non-drug products: skincare, lip balm and the bathroom guide. Where a drug-labelled product is the only option for you, read its Drug Facts label and the maker’s disclosure, and ask a pharmacist or clinician. Marketing words such as “hypoallergenic” are covered in what hypoallergenic means.