Allergens in moisturizers: 601 products analyzed
Moisturizers are the biggest category in our catalog — and the one where "gentle" marketing and actual composition diverge most often.
Based on 4,442 products with parsed ingredient labels in the AllerNote catalog, as of 2026-07-16.
What stands out
A moisturizer sits on your skin longer than anything else you use, so leave-on exposure to allergens is at its maximum here. Our data shows a wide split: a large fragrance-free segment (driven by derm-adjacent brands) coexists with a heavily perfumed mainstream — meaning the category average hides two very different shopping realities.
Preservative allergens matter here too: emulsions are water-based and need preserving, which is why phenoxyethanol and, in older formulas, MI/MCI show up. If eczema or contact dermatitis is in the picture, the moisturizer is the first product dermatologists usually ask about — check it first.
The allergens to know in this category
| Allergen | Type | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Fragrance Mix | fragrance | 239 |
| Fragrance Mix II | fragrance | 202 |
| Fragrance Mix I | fragrance | 202 |
| Cetyl Alcohol | emollient | 181 |
| Benzyl Alcohol | preservative | 60 |
| Propylene Glycol | solvent | 54 |
| Linalool | fragrance | 51 |
| Limonene | fragrance | 46 |
| Urea | irritant | 45 |
| Geraniol | fragrance | 38 |
The EU labelling change hits this category too
17.3% of moisturizers contain at least one fragrance allergen that Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 makes individually declarable from July 31, 2026. Full analysis in the EU fragrance-allergen report.
Presence on a label ≠ risk for you: concentrations aren't disclosed and most people react to specific allergens only. Methodology on the research hub.