How we rate for eczema safety
We don't run a lab. We rate each product on evidence you could check yourself: the ingredient list, fibre content or materials that the brand or retailer publishes for that exact product, plus any product-level certification we can confirm in the issuer's registry. If the evidence isn't published, the product doesn't qualify. We never assume a product is fine because similar products usually are. Where a certification has a public registry, the link is on the product page so you can check it too.
The two badges
Meets every rule for its product type, plus a product-level certification we have confirmed in the issuer’s registry — such as an OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 certificate number, a GOTS licence that covers the finished product, recognition from the Eczema Association of Australasia (EAA), or the US National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance (NEA). The star is never applied automatically: a person confirms the registry entry before it appears.
Meets every rule for its product type, based on the brand’s or retailer’s own published evidence: its ingredient list, fibre content or materials. We haven’t confirmed a product-level certification for it, so it doesn’t carry the star.
The rule for baby products
Baby products are only sold here when they carry ✓ or ★. Products that haven't met the standard aren't listed — and if we can't find the evidence to check a product, it hasn't met the standard.
The standard, by product type
Every baby product has to meet every rule for its type. Here they are in full.
1. Creams, washes and other formulations
Skincare, bath products, nappy-area creams, sunscreen, oral care, wet-wipe liquid, laundry and home cleaning.
The full ingredient list has to be published, and it must contain none of these:
- Added fragrance or parfum — including “natural fragrance” and essential oils added for scent. Fragrance is the most common contact trigger for sensitive skin.
- Sulfates — SLS, SLES, ALS and sodium coco-sulfate: strong cleansers that strip the skin barrier.
- Parabens — a preservative family many sensitive-skin families choose to avoid.
- MI / MCI — methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, preservatives that are documented contact allergens.
- Formaldehyde releasers — preservatives such as DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl or diazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, bronopol and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.
- A high essential-oil load — any essential oil in the top half of the ingredient list, or two or more essential oils. Natural doesn’t mean gentle on broken skin.
- Lanolin — a wool-derived moisturiser that some sensitive skin reacts to.
2. Clothing, bedding and other textiles
Clothing, sleepwear, swaddles, sleeping bags, bedding, towels, bibs, carriers, cloth nappies, change-mat covers and soft toys.
Fibre content has to be stated for every fabric that touches your baby’s skin, and each of those fabrics must be made from:
- Organic cotton or cotton
- Bamboo or bamboo viscose
- Lyocell, including Tencel
- Merino
- Mulberry silk
- Linen
A little stretch is fine: up to 8% elastane (also sold as spandex or Lycra), blended with one of the fibres above. Elastic that’s fully encased, like in a waistband or cuff, counts as a component rather than a fabric against skin. Polyester, nylon or acrylic next to skin doesn’t qualify, even in a small amount. Neither does wool other than merino, or a fibre the brand doesn’t name.
Flat seams, tagless necks and outside labels are a bonus, but they aren’t part of the rule.
3. Things your baby mouths, eats from or holds
Teethers, soothers, bottles and teats, cups, plates, bowls, cutlery, food storage (lids included), toys, bath toys, rattles, books and crayons — plus grooming and health tools that touch your baby: toothbrushes, nasal aspirators, brushes and combs, and nail trimmers.
Every material has to be stated, and each one must be:
- Food- or medical-grade silicone
- Stainless steel
- Glass
- Solid wood — untreated, or finished with a food-safe oil or a water-based finish.
- Plastic — only when it’s stated BPA-free, phthalate-free and PVC-free (all three).
- Board books and cardboard
Natural rubber latex doesn’t qualify, because it’s a known contact allergen. Neither do unspecified plastics, “non-toxic paint” with no detail on something your baby mouths, or items that are sprayed or scented.
A core that’s fully sealed inside one of these materials is judged by its outer material, because that’s the only part your baby touches. In the same way, grooming and health tools are judged on the parts that touch your baby — bristles, tips, pads and blades — and the handle you hold counts as a component.
4. Nappies and disposable wipes
Disposable nappies, disposable liners and disposable wipes.
To qualify, a nappy or wipe must:
- Disclose all of its materials and ingredients
- Be fragrance-free
- Be stated as chlorine-free — a plain “chlorine-free” statement is enough.
- Contain no lotion or wipe liquid with anything from the formulations list above
5. Oral medicines and teething gels aren’t rated
Oral medicines, oral herbal remedies and teething gels.
A skin-safety rating can’t tell you whether a medicine is right for your baby, so these aren’t rated and we don’t sell them as baby products. Your GP or pharmacist is the right person to ask. Creams and other products applied to the skin are judged under the formulation rules above, even when the label lists an active ingredient.
Sensitive-skin mode in our care guides
Every baby product we sell already meets the standard above, so turning on “My baby has sensitive skin” doesn't hide products. It changes the guides: gentler steps (water or a soap-free wash, no bubble bath, a daily bath and moisturiser at least twice a day for eczema-prone skin), extras like cotton scratch mittens, and fragrance-free picks for the things that touch your baby. The setting is saved only on this device.
For parents
Some things we stock are for you rather than your baby: things your baby doesn't wear, sleep in, get washed or wiped with, mouth, eat or drink from, or have applied to their skin, and durable gear you set up and operate. That covers cots, prams, car seats, travel cots and safety gates, monitors and thermometers, other home-safety gear, nappy bags and nappy bins, pram and car-seat accessories, air and room devices, bottle sterilisers and bottle-care gear, and your own maternity, nursing, breastfeeding and wellness items. They're listed without a skin badge and marked For parents — our rating is for the things in everyday contact with your baby's skin, so it doesn't apply to them. A few, like thermometers, touch your baby briefly; they still aren't rated. The “For parents” note isn't a skin-safety rating for grown-up skin either.
Safety standards on durable gear
Durable gear like cots, prams and car seats isn't skin-rated. Where a safety standard applies, we only list products whose maker states it, and we show the standard on the product page. Their note reads “For parents · Safety-standard checked”, which means we checked that the maker states the standard. We don't test products ourselves.