Seal of Acceptance
The Seal of Acceptance is a US product mark run by the National Eczema Association (NEA) since 2008. Brands apply voluntarily, product by product. Accepted products may carry the Seal logo in the US and Canadian markets under a licence agreement, and appear in NEA’s online product directory. Eligible categories include moisturisers, cleansers, hair products, wipes, sunscreens, over-the-counter drugs, laundry and household cleaning products, and some make-up (NEA Seal page). The American Academy of Dermatology suggests parents of children with eczema look for the Seal, alongside asking their dermatologist and choosing fragrance-free products. It notes Seal products include moisturisers, shampoo, cleansers, laundry detergent, sleepwear and hydrocortisone creams.
National Eczema Association [regulates] Seal of Acceptance American Academy of Dermatology [supports] Seal of Acceptance
What the Seal requires. A product must contain none of the ingredients on the “Ecz-clusion List”, in any amount. The current list has 32 entries, including many fragrance allergens (citral, citronellol, coumarin, eugenol, geraniol, isoeugenol), citrus peel oils, balsam of Peru, oak moss, propolis, the preservatives Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone, formaldehyde, the antibiotics bacitracin, Neomycin and polymyxin B, and the numbing agents benzocaine and lidocaine. Products must also be fragrance-free with no noticeable scent, use only physical (mineral) sunscreen filters, and contain no formaldehyde releasers. Each formula must pass at least one clinical safety test (human repeat insult patch test, cumulative irritation test or safety-in-use). An independent panel of dermatologists and allergists reviews the ingredients, test data and samples. Licences are renewed annually, and any formula change, however small, means reapplying with new testing (NEA Seal page).
Conflict: [NEA, Eczema causes and triggers, n.d.] says the Ecz-clusion List has 18 ingredients. [NEA, About the Seal of Acceptance, accessed Oct 2026] lists 32. NEA says the list “may evolve over time”, so the triggers page is probably out of date. Unresolved — add to open_questions.
Seal of Acceptance [opposes] Fragrance Allergy Seal of Acceptance [opposes] Allergic Contact Dermatitis Seal of Acceptance [relates] Fragrance-Free Labelling
Limits for toddlers. The required safety testing is done on adults aged 18 and over, not on children. The Seal is a hazard filter, not a trial: no source found shows that Seal products reduce flares compared with other plain emollients. The Ecz-clusion List also does not exclude Lanolin, nut or seed oils, or food-derived ingredients such as oat, so a child with a known allergy still needs to read the label (see Peanut Oil Sensitisation). NEA itself says “eczema is different for everyone”, and a Seal product that works for one person may not work for another, or for the same person over time. The Seal is licensed for US and Canadian markets only.
Nut-based oils are not screened out
A Seal does not mean a product is free of peanut or tree-nut oils. Applying nut-oil products to a toddler’s broken eczema skin may raise the risk of nut sensitisation, so check the ingredients regardless of the Seal.
Seal of Acceptance [relates] Emollient Therapy Seal of Acceptance [relates] Lanolin
Connections
- National Eczema Association — runs the Seal, source: NEA Seal page
- Fragrance Allergy — fragrance allergens excluded, source: NEA Seal page
- Allergic Contact Dermatitis — aims to reduce contact allergen exposure, source: NEA Seal page
- American Academy of Dermatology — advises parents to look for the Seal, source: AAD eczema-friendly products
- Fragrance-Free Labelling — Seal requires fragrance-free with no scent, source: NEA Seal page
- Methylisothiazolinone — excluded preservative, source: NEA Seal page
- Lanolin — not on the Ecz-clusion List, source: NEA Seal page