FRAGRANCE-FREEPlain Label Guide

What "fragrance-free" means here

Plain Label Guide Editorial · Last updated 14 November 2026

The test

A product counts here as fragrance-free only if its own listed ingredients contain none of the following on the date we checked:

  • fragrance, parfum, aroma or perfume;
  • essential oils or other plant-derived aromatic oils;
  • fragrance chemicals, for example linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol or coumarin, and aromatic musks.

Every product record carries the ingredient list, its source address and the date it was read. A product is described as “fragrance-free per its listed ingredients as of” that date. Formulas change, so the date matters.

Why “unscented” does not count

“Unscented” describes how a product smells, not what is in it. The US FDA notes that some products labelled “unscented” may contain fragrance ingredients, added in small amounts to mask the smell of other ingredients. The National Eczema Association likewise requires that products carrying its Seal have no fragrance or anything aromatic in the final product. For the longer explanation see fragrance-free vs unscented.

Essential oils

Essential oils are aromatic plant extracts. A product scented with them is not fragrance-free here, even when the label says “natural”. See are essential oils fragrance-free?.

Evidence levels

How strongly a product has been checked is shown on each page:

  1. maker ingredient list confirmed and dated;
  2. maker states fragrance-free (attributed and dated), when we have not read a full list;
  3. browser-captured maker page, labelled and dated.

Where a product passes only on its marketing claim we label it “claim only”. Claims that appear only on Amazon or another seller’s page never count on their own, and a readable list that shows fragrance fails a fragrance-free claim.

What the test does not cover

The test is about listed fragrance ingredients. It does not tell you that a product will suit your skin, and a product can pass and still contain ingredients some people react to. Medical questions belong with a clinician; see the medical and legal disclaimer. The full include and reject rules are in the review criteria, and our process is described in how we research.