Review criteria v1.2

In effect from 14 November 2026

These are the criteria Hypoallergenic Guide Editorial applies to every product on this site. "Hypoallergenic" has no federal definition for cosmetics (FDA), so we do not treat the word as proof. A product appears in one of two ways: either its maker uses the word "hypoallergenic" and publishes a specification we can read, in which case we report the claim as the maker's; or the maker does not use the word but the product meets the category criteria below, in which case the pick is labelled "Meets our criteria; the maker doesn't call it hypoallergenic" with the reason. Meeting a criterion is a statement about what a maker page shows. 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. Maker-page evidence is labelled as read by our fetch or captured from the maker's page in a browser, with the date.
• Exclusions cite a label, certification record, recall notice or published specification.
• We read maker pages. We do not check certificate numbers against certifier directories unless a page says we did.

Picks where the maker says hypoallergenic

• The maker's page uses the word "hypoallergenic" and we can quote it. The claim is reported as the maker's, never as ours.
• The page also gives a specification we can read: an ingredient list for personal care, materials or a named certification for bedding, metal and finish for jewelry. Where the specification is missing, the product is not a pick.

Picks where the maker does not say hypoallergenic

• A product whose maker does not use the word can be a pick only if it meets every criterion for its category below. It is labelled "Meets our criteria; the maker doesn't call it hypoallergenic" with the reason, and the maker's actual wording is quoted.
• A product that fails any criterion for its category is removed from the page and is not shown as a pick.

Personal care and makeup

• The maker's ingredient list for that exact product shows no fragrance, parfum, aroma or essential-oil entry.
• The list shows none of the fragrance-allergen names on our watch list (for example linalool, limonene, citronellol, geraniol, coumarin, eugenol, citral, farnesol, cinnamal, benzyl salicylate, hydroxycitronellal).
• The list shows none of the preservatives on our watch list: methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, formaldehyde, and formaldehyde releasers (for example DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, bronopol, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate).
• Our watch lists are our own working lists of common contact-allergen names, not a regulator's list. Passing means none of those names appears on the maker's list as retrieved on the stated date. It does not mean the product is safe for any person, and formulas change.

Laundry products (detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets)

• The same list tests as for personal care apply to the maker's ingredient list for that exact product and size: no fragrance entry, none of the fragrance-allergen names on our watch list, and none of the preservatives on our watch list.
• Where the list comes from a SmartLabel-style page, a "Fragrance Ingredient" heading with no entries under it is read as an empty heading, not as an ingredient. Where entries sit under it, they count.
• Dyes, brighteners and enzymes are reported when listed. They are not disqualifiers under these criteria unless they appear on a watch list.

Gloves

• The maker's page names the glove material (for example nitrile, vinyl or polyisoprene) and states that the glove is made without natural rubber latex.
• Where the page says anything about rubber-processing accelerators, we report it. A statement is not required, and its absence is noted as unknown.
• We make no statement about how any glove performs or whether it will suit any person.

Bedding, pillows, mattresses and protectors

• The maker's page names a certification with its standard (and the certificate number where the page shows one), or states the fabric and fill materials.
• Where a certification is named we report it as the page states it. We do not claim to have checked it with the certifier.
• Encasement or allergen-barrier claims count only when the maker states the figure behind them; we do not infer them from the fabric.

Jewelry and earrings

• The maker's page names the metal and states its grade or standard, such as an ASTM or ISO designation for titanium or a karat for gold. Terms such as "implant-grade", "medical" or "surgical" without a designation are not a grade.
• The maker makes a nickel statement on the page (for example nickel-free, or a stated nickel-related claim). Where a base metal is plated, the page states both the plating and the base metal.
• A pick that does not state the grade, or makes no nickel statement, is not shown. Plated items can wear through; we say so only where the maker's page does.

Disqualifiers

• No readable maker list or specification for that exact product and size.
• Any entry on the personal-care watch lists above, or fragrance in any form.
• Fewer than the evidence a category needs: a product we cannot verify is named under what we do not know and is neither recommended nor rejected.

Changelog

Version	Date	Change
1.0	11 November 2026	Initial version.
1.1	13 November 2026	Wrote the full criteria before launch: maker-claim picks, picks where the maker does not say hypoallergenic (labelled, with the reason), and per-category tests for personal care, bedding and jewelry.
1.2	14 November 2026	Added criteria for laundry products (detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets) and gloves, ahead of launch.