Don’t take our word for it. Here’s every fact on this site, with its evidence grade, its caveats, and a link to the source, so you can check us.
We start you on the strong ones: findings that have been replicated or come from one large, well-controlled study. Moderate and weak facts are here too, labeled for what they are. Use “Link to this fact” to share a single card.
Laws and loopholes / Advocacy group testing
In a 2010 Canadian survey, volunteers found no ingredient list on 28% of toothpastes and mouthwashes and 14% of antiperspirants and deodorants; in Canada, personal-care products sold as 'drugs' need list only their active ingredients.
Moderate evidence: Some missing lists were discarded outer packaging; 2010 Canadian law.
Laws and loopholes / Measured in people or real products
The EU's mandatory '26 allergens' cosmetic label did not reduce allergen use in German deodorants: the share containing at least one of the 26 EU-labeled fragrance allergens rose from 52% (2008) to 83% (2011), years after the labeling rule took effect.
Moderate evidence.
Caveats
Three non-representative convenience samples of the German market (n=66/200/108), not a tracked panel of the same products; the author states representativeness for the whole market is not established.
Source: Klaschka 2012, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health Link to this fact
Laws and loopholes / Measured in people or real products
Deodorants marketed with words like 'sensitive', 'soft' or 'skin soothing' were not allergen-free: 95% still contained perfume and 15% contained a strong allergen above the labeling threshold.
Moderate evidence: N=102 of 308 products across the 2010-2011 samples; single-country, label-based.
Source: Klaschka 2012, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health Link to this fact
Laws and loopholes / Measured in people or real products
Where two specific fragrance allergens (Lyral, oak moss extract) did become rarer in German deodorants, it tracked binding IFRA/SCCNFP maximum-concentration recommendations introduced around 2004-2009, not the general disclosure-only labeling rule.
Moderate evidence.
Caveats
A within-paper contrast drawn by the author from the same three-year dataset; only 2 of the 26 allergens had a specific concentration cap recommended, so this may not generalize to the other 24.
Source: Klaschka 2012, International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health Link to this fact
Information, not medical advice. See also: myths we won’t tell you.