Why drug-labelled products are not on this site
Update log
- 2026-11-14: Published.
Quick answer
This site never recommends or ranks a 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). The FDA says such products follow drug rules and labelling. Our rule is editorial, not a legal requirement.
The rule in one paragraph
This site covers cosmetics and household and wearable goods. We never recommend or rank a product that carries a drug claim or drug labelling: an SPF or sun-protection claim, a Drug Facts panel, or an antibacterial or antiperspirant active claimed as such. We may name such a product as an example, and that is all. The rule is editorial. It is our choice about scope, not something a law or regulator requires of us. We work from documents and have not tested any products.
Why the line is drawn at claims
The FDA’s page on cosmetics and drugs (read 2026-11-14) says whether a product is a cosmetic or a drug “is determined by a product’s intended use”, and that different laws and regulations apply to each. It defines drugs partly 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 a function of the body.
The same page says intended use is shown by claims on the labelling, in advertising and on the internet. It also says some products are both. Its examples include “deodorants that are also antiperspirants, and moisturizers and makeup marketed with sun-protection claims”, which it calls cosmetic/drug products that “must comply with the requirements for both cosmetics and drugs.” It adds that the law does not recognise a category called “cosmeceuticals”.
What drug labelling looks like
The FDA’s page on the over-the-counter Drug Facts label says labels on all OTC medicines, “from a bottle of sunscreen to a bottle of cough syrup”, carry information in the same order and style. The sections it describes include active ingredients, the symptoms or diseases the product will treat or prevent, warnings, directions, and inactive ingredients.
The FDA’s sunscreen page says the FDA regulates sunscreens as nonprescription drug products. It also says sunscreens are tested and labelled with an SPF value, and that labels must carry directions on when to reapply. That is a different information model from a cosmetic ingredient list. This site is built to compare cosmetic lists and materials, so a product that sits under drug labelling does not fit the way we assess things.
The word “hypoallergenic” has no federal definition
The FDA’s hypoallergenic cosmetics page (read 2026-11-14) says: “There are no Federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term ‘hypoallergenic.’ The term means whatever a particular company wants it to mean.” It adds that manufacturers are not required to submit substantiation of such claims to the FDA. Our guide to what hypoallergenic means goes through this in full.
That is why we do not treat the word as proof of anything, and why a drug panel or an SPF claim does not change that. Neither one defines “hypoallergenic” either. It also means a health-adjacent line is easy to blur on a page like ours, and we would rather stay on the cosmetic and materials side of it. We give no medical advice; for questions about your own skin, ask a doctor, pharmacist or dermatologist.
A UV filter in the list is not the same as an SPF claim
Because the FDA treats claims as decisive, we look at claims, not just ingredient names. An ordinary cosmetic whose list merely contains a UV filter, but whose maker makes no SPF or sun-protection claim, is treated here as an ordinary cosmetic. The Almay concealer is the example on this site. Its list includes ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (a UV filter) and nano zinc oxide, and the maker page we read has no SPF or sun-protection claim. See the hypoallergenic concealer page and is Almay hypoallergenic?.
Adding an SPF claim would change that. Per the FDA excerpt above, makeup marketed with sun-protection claims is a cosmetic/drug product, and under our rule it would drop out of our coverage. The same logic applies to a deodorant sold as an antiperspirant, or a soap or wash sold with an antibacterial claim: we look at what the maker says it is for.
Using this when you shop
Check the front of the pack and the back. A Drug Facts panel, an SPF number, or the words antiperspirant or antibacterial tell you the product is making a drug claim, and you will not find it recommended here. For ordinary cosmetics, our pages on hypoallergenic makeup and concealer show how we read lists and claims.
What we don't fully know
- We read three FDA pages. We did not read the underlying statute or regulations, so we state only what those pages say.
- The FDA page on drugs and cosmetics mentions an antibacterial soap rule only in a note that points elsewhere. We did not read that rule and say nothing about its content.
- We did not check how any individual product on the market is labelled beyond the product records on this site. Where a product's label changes, which side of our rule it falls on can change too.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to sell a drug-labelled product as hypoallergenic?
We do not say. The FDA page on hypoallergenic cosmetics says there are no federal standards or definitions that govern the term, and that manufacturers are not required to submit substantiation of such claims to the FDA. Whether a particular claim breaks a rule is a legal question we did not research.
Is this exclusion a legal requirement for a website like this?
No source we read says so. It is an editorial rule we set for this site.
Does a UV filter in the ingredient list make a product a sunscreen?
The FDA page on cosmetics and drugs says intended use decides, and that claims on labelling, advertising and promotion establish it. We therefore look at the claims. The Almay concealer on this site lists a UV filter but its maker page makes no SPF or sun-protection claim, so we treat it as an ordinary cosmetic.
What happens if that concealer's maker adds an SPF claim?
It would change our treatment. The FDA says makeup marketed with sun-protection claims is a cosmetic/drug product, and under our rule it would then be outside this site.
Can I use this site to choose a sunscreen?
No. We do not rank sunscreens. The FDA's sunscreen page covers use and labelling, and a doctor or pharmacist can answer questions about your own skin.
Sources
- Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?) (FDA)Regulatory list or noticeaccessed 14 November 2026
- "Hypoallergenic" Cosmetics (FDA)Regulatory list or noticeaccessed 14 November 2026
- The Over-the-Counter Drug Facts Label (FDA)Regulatory list or noticeaccessed 14 November 2026
- Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun (FDA)Regulatory list or noticeaccessed 14 November 2026