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.
Green, natural and unscented / Review of other studies
Fragrance allergens turn up in "fragrance-free" moisturizers and personal-care products across at least four independent surveys: Scheinman named ten US "fragrance-free" products with fragrance ingredients in 1999 (benzyl alcohol in 5 of 10), dermatologists named nine more major-brand examples containing benzyl alcohol in 2007 (including a baby lotion), two of Scheinman's own named products (Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, Moisturel Therapeutic Lotion) reappear on this list, a 2016 survey of best-selling US body moisturizers found 18 of 40 labeled "fragrance free" (45%) listed at least one ingredient dermatologists flag for fragrance-allergic patients, and a 2015 survey of 187 US pediatric personal-care products found that of the 52 labeled "fragrance free," 42 (80.8%) contained at least one contact allergen from the standard NACDG screening tray (55.8% had >=2).
Strong evidence.
Caveats
Four independently compiled surveys (1999, 2007, 2016, 2015) across adult and pediatric products now agree that 'fragrance-free'-labeled products commonly contain contact allergens. Hamann 2015's screening tray is broader than fragrance chemicals alone (also preservatives, surfactants; preservatives were in fact its largest allergen category), so its 80.8% is not a pure fragrance-allergen count like Xu 2017's CAMP cross-reactor tally, but the direction and scale match. Still label-based, not chemical analysis; don't name current products without checking today's labels.
Green, natural and unscented / Other evidence
OEKO-TEX Standard 100's limit table has no limit and no list for fragrance chemicals or fragrance allergens; the only fragrance-related rule is an odor test that requires 'no odor from mold, high boiling fraction of petrol, fish, aromatic hydrocarbons, or perfume'.
Strong evidence: Edition 02.2025 table only; the 2026 change notice mentions no fragrance row but the full 2026 table was not captured; odor test is a sensory judgment with no stated scale.
Source: OEKO-TEX Service GmbH, Standard 100 limit values Annexes 4-5, Ed. 02.2025 Industry-funded Link to this fact
Information, not medical advice. See also: myths we won’t tell you.