How to read your results
- Fragrance: added scent, including essential oils. It’s the most common cause of reactions to skincare, so sensitive skin usually does best without it.
- Declared allergen: one of the fragrance compounds the EU requires on the label (limonene, linalool and others), because some people are allergic to them.
- Sensitive skin: watch: ingredients that often sting or irritate reactive skin, such as denatured alcohol, strong acids and retinoids. Many people use them happily; if your skin is reactive, patch-test first.
- May clog pores: ingredients often reported to trigger breakouts on acne-prone skin. The old comedogenic ratings come from rabbit-ear tests on pure ingredients, so read this flag as “try it carefully”, not “banned”.
- EU rule: the ingredient is regulated in EU cosmetics, usually with a maximum strength. That’s normal and not a safety warning; brands sold in the EU must follow it. Not allowed in the EU is the one to take seriously.
What this checker can’t tell you
A label shows what’s in a product, not how much. Two serums with the same ingredients can behave completely differently depending on strength, pH and how they’re made. The checker also can’t see your skin. It reads the label; whether a product suits you depends on your skin type, what else you use and how your skin reacts. Anything that worries you, especially a prescription treatment or pregnancy, is worth asking a pharmacist or dermatologist about.
Where the information comes from
Every description was written by our team; nothing is generated by AI when you press the button. EU notes come from the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and its annexes, and the fragrance-allergen list from the ingredients the EU requires brands to declare. The checker covers about 328 ingredients and we add more regularly. For an ingredient we don’t cover, search the EU’s official CosIng database. Last updated September 26, 2026.
Ingredient guides
Want more than a one-liner? Our guides cover what the big actives do, who they suit and what to pair them with.