The Definition of Product Labels

How many times have you been misled to buy some product because the label claimed to be something you thought it to be? Upon closer inspection, the ingredients are a total opposite of what they advertised on the label!

Here are some of the common terms that we come across in our everyday products:

1. Fragrance-Free or Unscented

This is a general claim that implies that the product does not contain any fragrances. (click here)

In reality, fragrance-free or unscented products do contain artificial/natural fragrances OR masking agents to cover up existing smells of other chemicals or ingredients used in the products.(click here)

2. Hypoallergenic

This has very little meaning to it. (click here) In fact, this is a rather unregulated term!

Basically, sensitive people can still react to product(s) that has a hypoallergenic claim. It can also mean that allergy-causing ingredients are still present in the products, but they are used in smaller amounts!

Read hypoallergenic skincare for more information.

3. Ophthalmologist Tested/Dermatologist Tested

This actually means that an ophthalmologist or dermatologist tested the product. How it was tested and on how many people it was tested remains unclear.

An interesting link on dermatologically tested and clinically proven. Do read this!

4. Not Tested on Animals

This mean that the product(s) were not tested on animals. But this does not mean that the INDIVIDUAL ingredients of the products were not tested on animals. The 'Not Tested On Animals' movement was started by animal rights organizations stating that animals have an intrinsic right not to be used for experimentation.

What does this tell hypersensitive people like us about the product? Nothing!

5. Preservative-Free

Preservative-free products do not last long and they are of a greater risk in contamination. Preservative-free products would need to be refrigerated and thus consumers find them to be a great hassle.

Click here to read about 7 reasons there aren't more preservative free cosmetics.

An interesting link about preservative-free cosmetics.

So if you buy a product which states that it is preservative-free and yet it expires within 1 to 3 years, chances are that the manufacturer is lying!

6. Organic

The term organic means plants or natural materials have been produced by using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and synthetic chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMO), and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or chemical food additives.


Transparency of labeling of products is very important because it helps people who are hypersensitive and people with allergies to identify the ingredients in products that they are sensitive to. By doing so, consumers can be safe.