The background that makes the audits readable. How to read an ingredient list, what a certification actually certifies, and which claims on packaging carry information.
Why these exist
Most product-safety confusion is a vocabulary problem. “Natural” is unregulated. “Non-toxic” is unregulated. “Hypoallergenic” requires no testing. Meanwhile the terms that do carry meaning — a named restricted-substances list, an EPA Safer Choice listing, a GOTS certification — get less attention because they sound duller.
These guides cover the reading skills. Once you can tell a regulated claim from a marketing one, the product guides and brand audits become much faster to use.
What’s covered
- Label literacy — ingredient order, what “fragrance” legally permits, and where the disclosure stops.
- Certification meaning — which marks require independent testing and which are self-declared.
- Reading safety data — how to find and interpret an SDS without a chemistry background.
- Third-party databases — what EWG ratings measure, and what they do not.
- Indoor air — VOCs, ventilation and why the same product behaves differently in different rooms.
Where a guide is about a specific compound rather than a general skill, it lives in Free From instead.
Nothing here is medical advice. Read our methodology.