OEKO-TEX Standard 100 – What Does the Label Mean?

Short answer: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 means a textile has been tested for a long list of substances that can be harmful to skin and does not contain them above the set limits. It is a safety label and says nothing about quality.

What is tested

The test covers residues from dyeing, heavy metals, formaldehyde and substances from finishing, among others. It applies to the whole product: the fabric, the thread, the buttons, the elastic and the print, not only the piece of fabric the label sits on.

The four classes

The standard has four classes depending on how much skin contact the product has. Underwear falls into the strictest class for adult clothing, because it lies directly against the skin all day, and the limits there are lower than for a curtain.

What the label does not say

It says nothing about how long a garment lasts, how well it is sewn, or how it feels. A thin and a thick garment can both be certified, and two certified garments can differ widely in quality.

How to check a certificate

A genuine label carries a number and the name of a testing institute. The number can be looked up, showing who it was issued to and which products it covers. If only the word appears with no number, it covers nothing.

How long it is valid

A certificate is valid for one year at a time and has to be renewed. That means the product is tested again at regular intervals, and it is one reason the label says more than a one off declaration from a producer does.

Why it matters most in underwear

Underwear lies against the skin for many hours a day and is washed often. See bamboo underwear for women and bamboo underwear for men, where certification matters most, precisely because of the skin contact.

Which brands have it

Several of the brands we carry are certified. See JBS of Denmark as an example, and the full overview sits under OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified items, where all the certified items are gathered.

With sensitive skin

If you have eczema or react to clothing, a certified product is the safer choice, because residual chemistry is one of the most common causes of irritation. It does not remove the problem, but it rules out one possible explanation.

The other OEKO-TEX labels

Standard 100 is the most widespread, but there are several labels in the same family covering other things: production conditions, chemical management at the factory, and leather goods. They cannot be compared directly, and the name alone does not say which one it is.

Wash it first anyway

A new garment should be washed before use, even when it is certified. The wash removes dust and residues from transport and packaging, which is something other than what the test covers. See also bamboo clothing for sensitive skin.