EWG Verified is a certification mark from the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization, that identifies personal care products, cleaners, and other consumer goods meeting strict standards for ingredient safety and transparency. Over 2,530 products currently carry the mark across multiple categories. It signals that every ingredient in the product has been screened against EWG’s lists of chemicals with health or environmental concerns, and that the brand has disclosed its full ingredient list, including what’s inside any fragrances.
What the Mark Requires
A product must clear three hurdles to earn the EWG Verified mark. First, it cannot contain any ingredient on EWG’s “Unacceptable” list, a compilation of chemicals flagged for health effects, environmental toxicity, or contamination concerns. Second, it cannot contain any ingredient on EWG’s “Restricted” list unless the brand provides documentation proving it complies with limits set by authoritative scientific bodies and industry institutions. Third, the brand must fully disclose every ingredient on the label and to EWG directly, including individual fragrance components.
That fragrance rule is one of the more meaningful distinctions. Under U.S. law, companies can list “fragrance” as a single ingredient on a label without revealing the dozens of individual chemicals that make up the scent. EWG Verified products cannot hide behind that loophole. Brands must tell EWG exactly what’s in the fragrance so each component can be screened.
How It Differs From Skin Deep Ratings
EWG also runs Skin Deep, a searchable database that scores tens of thousands of personal care products on a 1-to-10 hazard scale based on their ingredients. A product can appear in Skin Deep with a low (green) score without any involvement from the brand. EWG simply pulls the ingredient list and runs it through their database.
EWG Verified goes further. It requires direct participation from the manufacturer, full ingredient disclosure (not just what’s on the label), and compliance with EWG’s strictest criteria. Think of Skin Deep as a rating anyone can look up, and EWG Verified as a formal certification a brand applies for and maintains. EWG describes the program as “taking Skin Deep ratings one step further.”
Which Product Categories Are Eligible
The program started with personal care products like shampoos, lotions, and sunscreens but has expanded. Five categories are currently eligible for verification:
- Personal care (skincare, hair care, cosmetics, oral care)
- Cleaners (household cleaning products)
- Diapers
- Mattresses
- Pet grooming
Each category has its own set of standards and required documentation, since the safety concerns for a diaper differ from those for a glass cleaner.
How Brands Get Certified
The verification process happens in two stages. An initial review takes roughly four to six weeks, followed by a secondary review lasting six to eight weeks. The timeline can stretch longer depending on how many products a brand submits and whether EWG requests additional documentation, such as proof that a restricted ingredient falls within safe limits.
Costs operate on a sliding scale based on company size and stage of development. Brands typically pay an application fee plus an annual licensing fee to continue using the mark. EWG does not publicly list exact dollar amounts, directing interested companies to contact them directly.
What It Means for You as a Shopper
The EWG Verified mark is most useful if you’re trying to avoid specific classes of chemicals in everyday products but don’t want to research every ingredient on every label yourself. The certification does that screening for you, filtering out ingredients EWG considers problematic and ensuring nothing is hidden under vague terms like “fragrance” or “parfum.”
It’s worth understanding what the mark is not. EWG is an advocacy organization, not a government regulator. The FDA does not require or endorse the certification. EWG’s “Unacceptable” and “Restricted” lists reflect the group’s own interpretation of available science, developed by their team of scientists, formulators, and toxicologists, drawing on standards set by various authoritative bodies. Some toxicologists and dermatologists have debated whether EWG’s thresholds are more conservative than the evidence warrants, while others view the precautionary approach as appropriate given gaps in U.S. chemical regulation.
If you see a product without the mark, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s unsafe. Many brands with clean formulations simply haven’t applied for the program or chosen to pay the licensing fees. The mark is one tool for navigating ingredient safety, not the only one.