The Label Decoder

Notes on reading body care labels, from someone who writes them.

"Fragrance" tells you almost nothing. That one word can legally cover dozens of compounds, and in the US no one has to tell you which ones. The formula is protected as a trade secret. Congress finally overhauled cosmetics law in 2022 and left that part alone. Europe went the other direction: brands there have to name specific fragrance allergens right on the label whenever they cross a threshold, which is why EU-sold products end their lists with words like linalool, limonene, geraniol, coumarin. So here's a shortcut I use: if a label names those individual compounds, the brand is disclosing at the European standard. If it just says "fragrance," you're being asked to take their word for it.

That's one section of five. The rest covers the 1% line, what "unscented" actually permits, and what's worth paying for in a body oil. One page, free, sent to your inbox.