Listings and the FDA portal use a lot of short codes. This glossary explains the ones we use in our guides, in plain language, with a link to the page that covers each in depth.
Number prefixes
What the letters at the start of a number mean
| Term | What it is | More |
|---|---|---|
| FR- | A food or food supplement registration number. Supplements are registered with no approved therapeutic claims. | What “No Approved Therapeutic Claims” means |
| NN- | A cosmetic notification number (sunscreen, serum, eye patch, toothpaste, shampoo). | Check a cosmetic |
| DR-, DRP-, DR-XY | Drug registration numbers (over-the-counter or prescription). Medicines are outside most of our guides. | Registered vs. approved |
| DRHR-, HRP- | Household remedy registration numbers. | Registered vs. approved |
| CMDR-, MDR-, DVR- | Numbers we saw in medical device registration records on the portal. | Device registration explained |
| HUHSR- | Household and urban hazardous substance records, the register where cleaners and disinfectant sprays appear (for example HUHSR-20250502-00019, valid to May 2028). | Disinfectant spray guide |
Status words
Registered, notified, approved and the rest
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Registered | The product has a registration number on the FDA portal (foods, supplements, medicines, devices). |
| Notified | The company told the FDA about the product before sale and it is listed with a number (cosmetics). |
| “FDA approved” | A phrase sellers use loosely. For cosmetics and supplements it is the wrong word; a medicine’s approved uses are those on its label. |
| Validity or expiry date | The date the registration or notification ends. An expired record is a flag. |
| Advisory | A public health warning the FDA posts against a named product, often described as unregistered, unnotified or unauthorized. It applies to that product, not the whole brand. |
| Lifted advisory | A later notice that withdraws an earlier advisory, for example the iCare nebulizer kit advisory of February 2023. |
Companies and records
Licences and certificates
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| CPR | Certificate of Product Registration: the record that a product is registered. |
| LTO | License to Operate: a licence for a company such as a manufacturer or distributor. It is not a registration for any one product, so a company’s licence does not prove a given product is registered. |
| Verification portal | The FDA Philippines site at verification.fda.gov.ph where you search records by number or name. |
| CMDN | A separate medical device notification list that appears in portal results; we do not rely on it when ranking. |
Listing words
Terms from the store side
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Shopee Mall / official store | A brand or authorised store badge. See Shopee Mall vs. Preferred vs. regular sellers. |
| LazMall | Lazada’s brand store badge. See Shopee vs Lazada. |
| Price per unit | Price divided by quantity, so packs compare fairly. See price per unit. |
| Brand-level match | We found the brand and device type on the portal, but not the model on the listing. |
| Careful-with table | Our list of listings we did not rank, with the reason, such as no registry match or a very new shop. |
FDA terms: common questions
What does NN- stand for?
It is the prefix on cosmetic notification numbers in the FDA records we read. We do not rely on any longer expansion.
Is a company’s LTO enough to trust a product?
No. An LTO licenses a company. The product still needs its own registration or notification.
Where do I look a number up?
On the FDA verification portal at verification.fda.gov.ph. Our step-by-step guide walks through it.
Do you cover medicines?
No. This glossary explains terms you may see, but our guides do not rank medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.