Personal care
This hub covers skin care, soap, hair and lip products. The word hypoallergenic has no federal definition for cosmetics, so the pages compare maker wording with the maker's ingredient list, and name the exact lists we read.
For skin: the lotion roundup covers five products with readable lists, and the moisturizer roundup says no moisturizer can be verified as hypoallergenic from documents, because the word is a maker claim. For cleansing, see soap, hand soap, body wash and shampoo. Note that Cetaphil's bar list includes Masking Fragrance, and two Dial products are excluded for an antibacterial active.
Lip products are on lip balm. Hair dye has a guide, which says the sources we read are silent on whether PPD-free dyes reduce reactions. Why drug-labelled products are excluded explains why sunscreen is not covered.
Three picks to start with
Best hypoallergenic body wash
Four body washes carry a maker claim and a readable ingredient list: Baby Dove Fragrance Free Moisture, Dove Sensitive Skin, Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Sensitive and Honest Company Baby Shampoo & Body Wash. "Hypoallergenic" is the maker's word, and two of the four lists still contain a fragrance entry (Heliotropine in Cetaphil, "Fragrance" in Dove Sensitive Skin), so read the list, not the badge.
Best hypoallergenic hand soap
Five liquid cleansers have a maker ingredient list we could read and none lists a fragrance entry. Only Seventh Generation Hand Wash - Free & Clean carries a hypoallergenic badge from its maker; the other four are included because their lists meet our published criteria. Two Dial products that say "hypoallergenic" are excluded because they list an antibacterial active ingredient.
Best hypoallergenic lip balm
Two products have a maker list we could use: the Almay Color & Care Lip Oil in Stick, whose maker says "Hypoallergenic", and the Blistex Simple and Sensitive lip balm, a five-entry list that meets our criteria although the maker does not call it hypoallergenic. The evidence is thin, and "hypoallergenic" is the maker's word, not an FDA-defined term.
How we check products in this category
'Hypoallergenic' has no legal definition for cosmetics, so a maker's word is a claim. Products are judged on the maker's ingredient list: no fragrance or fragrance allergens, and no MI/MCI or formaldehyde releasers. Those that meet this without the word are labelled that way. Drug-labelled products are excluded. We have not tested products ourselves. The full rules are in the review criteria.
Product guides
- Best hypoallergenic body wash
Four body washes carry a maker claim and a readable ingredient list: Baby Dove Fragrance Free Moisture, Dove Sensitive Skin, Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Sensitive and Honest Company Baby Shampoo & Body Wash. "Hypoallergenic" is the maker's word, and two of the four lists still contain a fragrance entry (Heliotropine in Cetaphil, "Fragrance" in Dove Sensitive Skin), so read the list, not the badge. - Best hypoallergenic hand soap
Five liquid cleansers have a maker ingredient list we could read and none lists a fragrance entry. Only Seventh Generation Hand Wash - Free & Clean carries a hypoallergenic badge from its maker; the other four are included because their lists meet our published criteria. Two Dial products that say "hypoallergenic" are excluded because they list an antibacterial active ingredient. - Best hypoallergenic lip balm
Two products have a maker list we could use: the Almay Color & Care Lip Oil in Stick, whose maker says "Hypoallergenic", and the Blistex Simple and Sensitive lip balm, a five-entry list that meets our criteria although the maker does not call it hypoallergenic. The evidence is thin, and "hypoallergenic" is the maker's word, not an FDA-defined term. - Best hypoallergenic lotion
Five products have a maker page and a published ingredient list we could read: Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Lotion, Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream and Dove say "hypoallergenic"; CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion and Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ do not, but meet our published criteria. "Hypoallergenic" is the maker's word; the FDA keeps no list of approved cosmetic claims, so read the list, not the badge. - Best hypoallergenic moisturizer
No moisturizer can be verified as "hypoallergenic" from documents, because the word is a maker claim. Four of the nine here (Aveeno, both Cetaphil products and Dove) use it on the maker page; the others make fragrance-free or allergy-tested statements instead. Read the ingredient list as well as the badge. - Best hypoallergenic shampoo
Three shampoos have a maker claim of "hypoallergenic" and an ingredient list we could read: Aveeno Baby Wash & Shampoo, Baby Dove Curl Nourishment Baby Shampoo and Honest Company Baby Shampoo & Body Wash for Sensitive Skin. Only the Honest Fragrance Free version has no fragrance entry in its list; the Aveeno and Baby Dove lists both include fragrance despite the claim. - Best hypoallergenic soap
Three bars have a maker ingredient list we could read: Cetaphil Daily Use Gentle Face and Body Cleansing Bar, Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar and Dr. Bronner's Unscented Pure-Castile Magic Bar Soap. Cetaphil and Dove call themselves hypoallergenic, but Cetaphil's list includes "Masking Fragrance"; Dr. Bronner's does not use the word and is included because its list meets our criteria.
Guides
- Hypoallergenic hair dye labels, and PPD vs PTD
"Hypoallergenic" has no federal definition, and the FDA says the term means whatever a company wants it to mean. The sources we read say nothing on whether "PPD-free", "ammonia-free" or "natural" dyes are less likely to cause a reaction. Ask a dermatologist about your own skin.