What’s really in that bottle? Paste the ingredient list from any shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, cleaner or detergent, or scan it with your phone. We’ll flag the fragrance and scent allergens, and ingredients banned or restricted in EU cosmetics or listed as carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, skin allergens, hormone disruptors or “forever chemicals.” Unusual spellings can slip past, so read the results as a first check.
"Fragrance" or "parfum" can hide what's in it
US law does not require the individual chemicals in a fragrance to be listed, so a shopper cannot tell from the label whether a scented product contains diethyl phthalate.
Strong evidence: Regulatory background statement, as of 2013. Source: Parlett 2013, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology
Until 2023 EU labels only had to name 26 fragrance allergens (above 10 ppm in leave-on and 100 ppm in rinse-off products); every other fragrance ingredient could be hidden under 'parfum'.
Strong evidence: EU Regulation 2023/1545 expanded the list; say 'until 2023' or name the new list. Source: Pastor-Nieto 2021, Current Treatment Options in Allergy
The EU list is growing
A 2023 EU rule expands the list of fragrance allergens that must be named on cosmetic labels from 26 to about 80 entries (56 substances plus related forms), phasing in from 2026 to 2028, above set concentration limits.
Strong evidence: Only above threshold concentrations; cosmetics only. Source: Sukakul 2024, Acta Dermato-Venereologica Industry-funded
"Unscented" and "fragrance-free" aren't legal terms
In the US, "fragrance free", "unscented" and "free and clear" have no legal definition, so each company picks its own meaning; some "unscented" products contain a masking fragrance added to hide the product's smell.
Strong evidence: Expert review; the legal-definition point is not itself quantified, but the practical consequence now is: Hamann 2015 found 42 of 52 (80.8%) US pediatric products labeled 'fragrance free' contained >=1 NACDG-tray contact allergen, converging with Xu 2017's 45% (18/40) for adult moisturizers (narrower CAMP cross-reactor definition). Two independent, systematically screened surveys across different age populations now confirm the practical failure of the 'fragrance free' label; masking fragrance specifically remains unmeasured (see Scheinman 1999 for the one documented case). Strong because the absence of a legal definition is a regulatory fact. Hamann's 80.8% counts any NACDG allergen (mostly preservatives), not fragrance; use Xu 2017's 45% for fragrance-related allergens. Source: Rodriguez 2024, Cutis
"Natural" doesn't mean allergen-free
In a check of 100 'natural' personal-care products from 10 European natural-cosmetics brands, 82 listed at least one of the EU's labeled fragrance allergens (up to 11 in one product); limonene was on 71 labels and linalool on 70.
Moderate evidence: Label declarations only, no chemical analysis; 10 products from each of 10 anonymous brands, not representative; 2013-15, when the EU list had 26 allergens. Source: Klaschka 2016, Environmental Sciences Europe
What we check for
Besides the words fragrance, parfum, aroma, flavor and essential oil, the decoder looks for every fragrance allergen on the EU’s list. In the EU these must be named on the label above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products. US labels don’t have to name them at all.
The 24 EU-listed allergens named on labels today (24)
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Amyl Cinnamal, Amylcinnamyl Alcohol, Anise Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Benzyl Salicylate, Cinnamal, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Evernia Furfuracea Extract, Evernia Prunastri Extract, Farnesol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Isoeugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Methyl 2-Octynoate
Added in 2023 (on EU labels from 2026 to 2028) (73)
6-Methyl Coumarin, Alpha-Terpinene, Amyl Salicylate, Anethole, Benzaldehyde, Beta-Caryophyllene, Camphor, Cananga Odorata Flower Extract, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Carvone, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Extract, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Bark Water, Cedrus Atlantica Leaf Extract, Cedrus Atlantica Wood Extract, Cedrus Atlantica Wood Oil, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Oil, Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Eugenyl Acetate, Geranyl Acetate, Hexadecanolactone, Hexamethylindanopyran, Isoeugenyl Acetate, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Wood Oil, Laurus Nobilis Leaf Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Flower Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Linalyl Acetate, Lippia citriodora absolute, Mentha Piperita Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Menthol, Myroxylon Balsamum Pereirae Balsam Extract, Myroxylon Balsamum Pereirae Balsam Oil, Myroxylon Pereirae Oil, Myroxylon Pereirae Resin, Myroxylon Pereirae Resin Extract, Narcissus Poeticus Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Pinene, Pinus Mugo Leaf Oil, Pinus Mugo Twig Leaf Extract, Pinus Mugo Twig Oil, Pinus Pumila Needle Extract, Pinus Pumila Twig Leaf Extract, Pinus Pumila Twig Leaf Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Salicylaldehyde, Santalol, Santalum Album Oil, Sclareol, Terpineol, Terpinolene, Tetramethyl acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, Trimethylbenzenepropanol, Trimethylcyclopentenyl Methylisopentenol, Turpentine, Vanillin
Banned in EU cosmetics (2)
Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Sources: EU Regulation 1223/2009 Annex III and Regulation (EU) 2023/1545. Information, not medical advice. The decoder can miss ingredients written in unusual ways.
Want to know more about one ingredient? The ingredient guide explains the most common flagged ones: what each can be used for, why it’s flagged and what the research says.
Look up the whole product
The decoder checks fragrance and the official lists above. For a rating of every ingredient in the bottle, look the product up in EWG Skin Deep, which rates shampoo, lotion, makeup, sunscreen and baby products, or EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning for detergent, dish soap, cleaners and air fresheners. Both are free. Our fragrance-free shopping guide covers the rest.