Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
General product information, not medical advice.
Short answer: a hygiene products list covers the items used to keep skin, hands, hair and teeth clean, such as soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant. “Hygiene product” is not a regulatory term. In the United States the FDA sorts these items by intended use into cosmetics, drugs, or both, and a product labeled solely as soap falls under the Consumer Product Safety Commission instead. For hand cleaning, the CDC names soap and water as the best way to get rid of germs in most situations.
What are personal hygiene products? Definition and scope
Personal hygiene products are everyday items people use to clean and care for the body. Retail lists usually group them as oral care, body and hair cleansing, hand hygiene, and deodorants or skin care. Shops and lists also use “toiletries”, “personal care products” and “cosmetics” loosely and interchangeably, which is why two lists with the same name can differ.
The FDA does not regulate a category called “hygiene products”. It regulates by what a product is intended to do, judged from label claims, advertising, consumer expectations and ingredients with a well-known therapeutic use. That is the practical reason a list of hygiene products is worth sorting by regulatory category.
Hygiene products list by category
The rows below are limited to products the FDA names on its page Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?) (checked 1 November 2026). Treat it as a starting point for a supply list, not a complete catalogue.
Which are cosmetics, drugs or both?
| Product | FDA category as the page describes it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Skin moisturizer, perfume, lipstick | Cosmetic | Named by the FDA among products that meet the cosmetic definition (applied to the body for cleansing, beautifying or altering appearance) |
| Cleansing shampoo | Cosmetic | Intended to cleanse the hair |
| Deodorant | Cosmetic | Named as a cosmetic |
| Antidandruff shampoo | Both | Cosmetic because it cleanses hair, drug because it treats dandruff; must meet both sets of requirements |
| Toothpaste with fluoride and claims to freshen breath and cleanse the teeth | Both | Fluoride has a well-known therapeutic use; the freshening and cleansing claims are cosmetic |
| Deodorant that is also an antiperspirant | Both | Two intended uses |
| Moisturizer or makeup sold with sun-protection claims | Both (sunscreens are among the OTC drug monograph categories) | Sun-protection claim |
| Product labeled, sold and represented solely as soap, made mainly of alkali salts of fatty acids | “Soap” under the FDA reading, regulated by the CPSC, not the FDA | 21 CFR 701.20 |
| Cleanser that is antibacterial or also treats acne | Drug, or possibly both drug and cosmetic | Intended to treat or prevent disease or affect body function |
Hand hygiene: soap and water versus sanitizer
The CDC page Clean Hands (checked 1 November 2026) states that washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations, and that handwashing can help prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections. It describes hand sanitizer as the alternative when soap and water are not available, and says to check that the label lists at least 60% alcohol. For product background see hand sanitizer, and for cleansers with antimicrobial claims see what is antimicrobial soap.
Where it matters for supply lists
Because the category follows intended use, one shelf can hold products under different rules. A supply list is easier to read when it separates plain cleansing items (soap, shampoo) from items with a drug claim (fluoride toothpaste, antidandruff, sun protection). Related lists on CASRAI cover home caregiver supplies, a travel medicine kit, an individual first aid kit and dental supplies; this page does not repeat their item lists.
Common misunderstandings
Is every product called soap regulated as soap?
No. The FDA says not every product marketed as soap meets its definition. A cleanser that is also meant for other cosmetic uses such as fragrance or moisturizing is regulated as a cosmetic, and one with antibacterial or acne-treatment claims is regulated as a drug, or possibly both.
Is a cosmeceutical a separate category?
No. The FDA says the FD&C Act does not recognize “cosmeceuticals”: a product can be a drug, a cosmetic, or a combination of both, and the term has no meaning under the law.
What about good hygiene products and hygiene brands?
The sources behind this page classify products by intended use and claims, not by brand, and they do not rank products. A brand name does not tell you whether an item is a cosmetic, a drug or soap; the intended use shown by its claims does.
FAQ
What is personal hygiene products?
Personal hygiene products are items used to clean and care for the body, such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and hand sanitizer. In the United States each is treated as a cosmetic, a drug, both, or (for qualifying soap) a CPSC-regulated product, depending on its intended use.
What is on a basic personal hygiene product list?
Common categories are hand hygiene (soap, sanitizer), body and hair cleansing, oral care and deodorant. The table above shows how the FDA classifies the examples it names.
Sources
- FDA, Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?) (https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap), checked 1 November 2026.
- CDC, Clean Hands (https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html), checked 1 November 2026.
