Review criteria v1.1

In effect from 14 November 2026

These are the criteria Plain Label Guide Editorial applies to every product on this site. A product counts as fragrance-free here only if the ingredient list we read for that exact product shows no fragrance, parfum, aroma, perfume, essential oil or fragrance chemical, as of the date shown on the page. "Unscented" is not "fragrance-free". A pass is a statement about what a maker's list showed on a given day. It is not a promise that anyone will not react. The criteria are versioned; any change adds a changelog row.

Evidence

Every product claim traces to a dated source. We read maker pages and say how we read them.
Evidence levels, strongest first: the maker's ingredient list read and confirmed on a second read; a list captured from the maker's page in a browser where automated fetching was blocked (labelled as browser-captured, with the date); a maker statement such as "unscented" for products that have no ingredient list at all (labelled "maker states", attributed and dated).
Amazon, retailer and seller claims never count on their own. An ingredient database can corroborate a list but is never the only source.
A readable list that contradicts a claim fails the claim. A product that says "fragrance-free" or "unscented" but whose list names fragrance is shown as a contrast, and we need two independent captures of the list before we show it as one.
Exclusions cite a label, certification record, recall notice or published specification, with the source link.
We do not check certificate numbers against certifier directories unless a page says we did.

What counts as fragrance-free

The list shows no entry named fragrance, parfum, aroma or perfume.
The list shows no essential oil, and no fragrance chemical on our watch list (for example linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, coumarin, eugenol, citral, farnesol, cinnamal, benzyl salicylate, hydroxycitronellal, and aromatic musks).
"Unscented", "free of perfumes", "for sensitive skin" and "dermatologist-recommended" are marketing statements. We quote them as the maker's wording and judge the list.
On SmartLabel-style pages, a "Fragrance Ingredient" heading with no entries under it is an empty heading, not an ingredient. Where entries sit under it, they count.
Botanical extracts, dyes and preservatives are reported when listed. They are not disqualifiers on their own unless they fall under the rules below.
The National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance can be checked against the NEA's published list. We state what it covers and what it does not, and we date the check.

What is left out of recommendations

Any product whose list names fragrance, parfum, aroma, perfume, an essential oil or a watch-list fragrance chemical.
Drug-labelled products, meaning any product that carries a drug claim or drug labelling (an SPF or sun-protection claim, a Drug Facts panel, a claimed antibacterial or antiperspirant active). They may be named as examples. They are never picks. See "Why drug-labelled products are not on this site".
Products with no readable maker list or specification for that exact product and size. A product we cannot verify is named under what we do not know, and is neither recommended nor rejected.
A product whose first capture was not confirmed on a second read is treated as unconfirmed, not as a pass.

Products without an ingredient list

Some products, such as trash bags, publish no ingredient list. We do not call these fragrance-free. A maker's "unscented" is reported as a maker statement, with the date, and the page says that no list sits behind it.

Roundups, versions and limits

A roundup can publish with two verified products if the page says plainly that the category is thin and why. A category that cannot reach two is merged into a related page, turned into an explainer, or deferred.
Formulas change by batch, size and market. Every list is dated, and a page shows the product and size we read.
We research from documents and have not tested products ourselves. Nothing on this site is medical advice.
We use price bands only, never typed prices, and no star ratings.

Changelog

Version	Date	Change
1.0	11 November 2026	Initial version.
1.1	14 November 2026	Wrote the full criteria before launch: evidence levels, the fragrance-free test, what is left out (including drug-labelled products), products without an ingredient list, and the two-product rule for thin roundups.