How to Choose a Body Lotion Without Harmful Chemicals

To analyze lotion labels, CR partnered with the ingredient experts at Made Safe and Made Wise. Over 80 body lotions were reviewed for known and suspected links to environmental and human health concerns.

Let’s start by debunking some common myths about body lotion. You may have heard that once you start using lotion, there’s no going back—there’s a common misconception that your skin becomes “dependent” on the external moisture that body lotion provides. But according to Zakia Rahman, MD, a clinical professor of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, “It’s really a myth.” This sentiment was echoed by Kevin Sharghi, MD, a dermatologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who told Consumer Reports, “Your skin doesn’t become ‘addicted’ to lotion. When you stop, dryness just comes back because nothing is helping lock in moisture anymore.”

That means you can put that myth aside and use lotion as needed, which really depends on your individual skin’s needs. Some people don’t need body lotion at all. For others with typical skin, that could mean using body lotion once a day, twice a day, or every few days. You may need to use more if you have particularly dry skin, have a skin condition, live in a dry or cold climate, or have aging skin. To maximize your lotion’s efficacy, Sharghi suggests always using lotion after bathing because that is when you can best lock in moisture.

It’s easy to get bogged down in chemical names and public health policy details when thinking about product safety, so before we dive into red flag ingredients, let’s remember the larger picture. 

According to Rainbow Rubin, PhD, MPH, an environmental health scientist who currently serves as the director of science for advocacy organization Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, you want to keep the cumulative effects of ingredients in mind when it comes to personal care products. Exposure to a potentially concerning ingredient in a product like lotion can feel small, but our exposure can build up over time, like pushing down one side of a balance scale until it tips, at which point an individual’s health may be affected. 

And certain groups are even more impacted. According to the Environmental Working Group, women use more personal care products than men—around 12 products per day, on average—meaning they’re tipping the health scales even faster. In one study of 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles, more than half of the women used a product containing a harmful preservative, just one example of the many ways women of color are disproportionately impacted by harmful chemicals in personal care products like braiding hair and shampoo. 

“Individual consumer choices do matter significantly in the broader context of safety and sustainability,” says Rubin. Switching to products made with fewer concerning chemicals can make a difference.

To help you make safer and more sustainable product decisions when shopping for lotion, we’ve identified some of the most concerning ingredients in lotion, why they’re there, what effects they’re linked to, and how to find alternatives. Read on for more details.

Phenoxyethanol: Phenoxyethanol is an added preservative that’s used to keep personal care products from spoiling. It became popular after companies moved away from older preservatives like parabens, and is now common in lotions, shampoos, and other products marketed as “clean.” Supporters say that it’s allowed in small amounts in the European Union and is sometimes described as “nature-identical” because it naturally occurs in green tea and chicory. Critics say that the version used in products is synthetically made using industrial chemicals linked to cancer and genetic harm, and small traces can remain in the final ingredient. This has raised concerns about whether phenoxyethanol truly belongs in products promoted as safer or more natural.

Mineral oil, petrolatum, liquid paraffin, and microcrystalline wax: These ingredients are popular choices in lotions because of their occlusive action, meaning they create a barrier on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping. Manufactured as byproducts of refining crude oil (like the processes used to make gas and other petroleum products), they are vulnerable to contamination with harmful substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are associated with cancers. 

How much contamination—and how much associated cancer concern—is dependent on the way the ingredient has been refined. When these ingredients are fully and properly refined, they usually contain much lower levels of PAHs. In the European Union, there are rules that require these ingredients to meet specific PAH purity standards, but in the U.S., companies aren’t required to use fully refined ingredients. Unfortunately, product labels usually don’t say whether an ingredient has been fully refined, which makes it hard to know how much risk it may pose.

These ingredients are also linked to environmental harm. “White mineral oil, paraffin, and petroleum jelly are persistent in the environment, meaning they don’t break down over time,” says Rubin.

Undisclosed fragrance: If you’ve ever flipped over a product and spotted “fragrance” on the label, you’ve seen trade secret law in action. U.S. federal legislation allows companies to skip disclosure of fragrance formulation ingredients and simply list terms like “fragrance,” “parfum,” and “natural fragrance” on the label. Trade secret laws are intended to help keep fragrance formulations proprietary in a competitive marketplace, and protect research and development efforts. But undisclosed fragrances can pose risks, because consumers and independent scientists often don’t know what chemicals they contain or how safe they are. According to Alexandra Scranton, fragrance policy and safety expert and director of science and research for advocacy organization Weaving Voices for Health and Justice, much of the safety research on fragrance ingredients is done or funded by the fragrance industry and shared only in summary form, making it difficult to judge its quality or bias. Independent researchers also struggle to study fragrance ingredients because research is often behind a paywall, posing a financial barrier, and suppliers may refuse to provide access to the underlying datasets.

Public lists show that thousands of fragrance chemicals are in use, yet many have little or no publicly available safety data, according to an analysis by the Breast Cancer Prevention Partnership. That analysis found that some fragrance chemicals have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, environmental damage, severe allergies, and more. Fragrance chemicals are also a leading cause of allergic reactions, but unlike in the EU, U.S. companies aren’t required to disclose common fragrance allergens. Without ingredient transparency, consumers can’t make informed choices about potential health or environmental risks.

As an example, Scranton points to a specific group of chemicals: phthalates. Yes, those same chemicals used in plastic packaging found on food. Phthalates are used in fragrances as solvents, chemicals used to suspend other ingredients. They’re associated with endocrine disruption, which means they can interfere with the body’s normal hormonal signaling; this disruption can result in developmental or reproductive impacts.

Phase out phenoxyethanol and other ethoxylated ingredients. “The FDA does not require 1,4-dioxane or ethylene oxide to be listed on ingredient labels because both are contaminants of manufacturing . . . without testing, there is no way to know if a product contains residual ethylene oxide or 1,4-dioxane,” Rubin says. So to avoid these contaminants potentially linked to cancer, look for and avoid the ingredient “phenoxyethanol” on labels. Spotting other ethoxylated ingredients requires a little more digging: Look for and avoid the terms PEG and polysorbate, typically followed by a number (e.g., PEG-100 stearate and polysorbate 20), as well as the suffix “-eth” (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate). 

Look for alternatives to petroleum ingredients. This group of ingredients goes by many names on labels: mineral oil, petrolatum, liquid paraffin, paraffinum liquidum, petroleum jelly, microcrystalline wax, white mineral oil, paraffin oil, and paraffin wax. While these occlusive ingredients can lock in moisture, due to the potential for contamination with substances linked to cancer and persistence in the environment, you might want to choose more sustainable moisturizing ingredients, such as carnauba wax, caprylic/capric triglyceride, shea butter, beeswax, and other plant oils and waxes. These alternatives to petroleum-based ingredients are excellent occlusives and generally well tolerated. 

Go fragrance-free. Fragrance disclosure isn’t required in the U.S., which means fragrance ingredients aren’t always listed on labels, sometimes hiding behind terms like “fragrance” and “parfum.” Because some fragrance ingredients are associated with harm to people and the planet, skip products that list these terms on labels and look for products listed as “fragrance-free.” According to Sharghi, “Fragrance-free and dye-free products are usually the safest, especially for sensitive skin.” He told CR that added fragrance and essential oils are common triggers for irritation. “Fragrance makes lotion enjoyable to use, but it’s also one of the most common causes of skin reactions.” 

Don’t be fooled by “unscented” products. Both Rubin and Scranton told CR that unscented products aren’t inherently fragrance-free. Instead, they can use chemicals called masking ingredients that cover up the scent of other ingredients so that the product doesn’t have a smell. Look specifically for products marketed as “fragrance-free” that don’t contain the terms “fragrance,” “parfum,” “natural fragrance,” or other vague terms on the label.

Choose products with disclosed fragrances, if you can’t go fragrance-free. Shop for products that include a list of all ingredients on the label or the company’s webpage by avoiding those that list vague terms like “fragrance” or “parfum.” “If you’re buying [a company’s] product, you’re putting it on your skin, you should know what’s in it,” says Scranton. “It’s definitely a pretty basic right that companies should be respecting.” 

Observe how fragranced products make you feel. While some impacts from fragrance ingredients go unseen, others make themselves known at the point of use. Avoid any fragranced products that make you feel dizzy, induce allergy symptoms, give you a headache, bring on a rash, or result in any other symptoms.

Pay attention to natural fragrances. Some essential oils and other plant ingredients are allergens. Some plants can have other associated health effects, too. So stick to time-tested, recognizable plant ingredients and pay attention to any reactions you have in order to avoid ingredients you might be sensitive to. 

Scrutinize preservatives. Products need preservatives, especially if they contain water, to avoid the growth of harmful microorganisms, so steer clear of products marketed as preservative-free. The question is: Which preservatives are the safest and most sustainable? 

Some better preservative options include caprylhydroxamic acid, citric acid, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, phenethyl alcohol, and gluconolactone. A few preservatives to avoid: phenoxyethanol, parabens like methylparaben and propylparaben (linked to endocrine disruption in lab and animal studies), BHT (linked to endocrine disruption in lab and animal studies), disodium EDTA and EDTA (linked to problematic chemicals used in manufacturing), and formaldehyde releasers like DMDM hydantoin and diazolidinyl urea (because formaldehyde has been linked to cancer). 

Skip silicones. These ingredients are common in body lotions because they can serve as effective occlusives and emollients. But according to Rubin, these ingredients are harsh on the environment and some are associated with potential endocrine disruption. You’ll find them on labels by looking for the suffixes “-silane,” “-siloxane,” and “-cone" (e.g., stearoxytrimethylsilane, cyclopentasiloxane, and dimethicone). 

Look for certified body lotions. Third-party certifications can help you find products made with better ingredients. For example Made Safe certifies products by evaluating all added ingredients for human health and ecosystem health, including fragrances. Made Safe does not permit undisclosed fragrance, ethoxylated ingredients, or harmful preservatives. Made Wise Certified requires companies to avoid 15,000 harmful ingredients and requires labelling transparency. USDA Organic Certification can also be an indicator of better ingredient selection, because some ingredients associated with concerns are banned or restricted. If fragrance-free is your No. 1 priority, consider EPA Safer Choice Fragrance-Free (or simply look for fragrance-free products with no added fragrance).

CVS
CVS responded to our inquiry regarding Moisturizing Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin, stating, “CVS Pharmacy is committed to ensuring the products we offer are safe, work as intended, and satisfy customers’ needs. CVS brand suppliers are required to comply with all applicable laws and regulations and to ensure ingredients used in products are not prohibited by regulatory agencies.”

Gold Bond
Gold Bond responded to our inquiries stating that the flagged ingredients have either been extensively reviewed and are considered safe within recommended concentrations or for those that have limited publicly available safety data, that the company has undergone internal safety evaluations. The company told CR: “All ingredients used in our formulations are selected based on rigorous safety assessments and are compliant with applicable cosmetic and environmental regulations in the U.S.”

Philosophy
Coty, the parent company of Philosophy, told Consumer Reports that the company has created a clean program and that as of 2022, new formulas do not contain ingredients listed on the company’s clean standard. This includes three ingredients flagged in our product evaluation: phenoxyethanol, BHT, and benzophenone-3 (aka oxybenzone). Coty also said that the company is working on reformulating all existing products to meet its new internal standard.

Coty stated, “We created our clean program in response to consumer and retailer desire for ingredient transparency and to choose products based on the absence of certain ingredients, while maintaining safety and performance. Our clean list goes beyond the authorities’ requirements and some of our main competitors. It is dynamic and updated on a regular basis as consumer expectations evolve.”

Suave
Suave responded to our request for comment, stating, “While there may be information about these ingredients . . . to appear contrary, these ingredients are safe and effective, and used throughout a variety of personal care, cosmetic and OTC products throughout the market.” The company stated that all products are formulated in compliance with regulations and raw material selections are made taking into consideration safety and compliance. 

Vanicream
Vanicream said that the petrolatum it sources meets purity standards for PAHs and other contaminants. Regarding ceteareth-20 and PEG-30, the company stated it “proactively address safety concerns regarding residual ethoxylation impurities by implementing stringent supplier qualification, ingredient purity controls, and finished product testing.” The company said that BHT is used in the product at concentrations below acceptable thresholds; however, due to customer and dermatologist feedback, the product has been reformulated to remove BHT as of early 2026. The company told CR that simethicone is a safe and sustainable choice and is used at low concentrations. “Overall, our ingredient choices reflect a commitment to safety, efficacy, and patient compliance,” Vanicream stated.

All other companies did not respond to our request for comment.