Case · Contextual word error
FDA DailyMed sunscreen label said "adheres" instead of "adverse"
Human-verified by ContextRx · Company class: overseas personal-care / sunscreen importer · Severity: high
Why does "adheres" survive in a stop-use line?
Something feels wrong after applying an OTC sunscreen. The reader opens Drug Facts and goes to the stop-use / safety line — the block that tells them what kind of reaction to watch for and when to stop. That is where this case sits on FDA DailyMed. Stop-use copy is short on purpose; readers meet it when something already feels wrong.
Under that skim, the line almost reads right. Stop-use framing is familiar. The sentence shape matches other safety copy on the panel. The slot that should name the reaction category looks finished until you listen for the word that belongs there.
Then the category is wrong.
Published (paraphrased): stop-use / reaction wording used adheres where the slot calls for adverse.
Required: stop-use / reaction language that names adverse reactions.
ContextRx human-verified the contextual word error — and the same swap sits on more than one label in that inventory cluster. Adverse is the word labeling teams expect in reaction wording — as in adverse reactions, the category of unwanted effects the reader is being told to watch for. Adheres is a verb about sticking. Both are correctly spelled. Spellcheck clears either. Only someone who knows how OTC stop-use copy is supposed to sound catches the flip.
Translation, paste, OCR, or template reuse can drop a look-alike into high-stakes safety copy. The line still reads as English. The named category of reaction does not. A medical writer or labeling QC lead does not need a thesis paragraph — they need the right word in the slot that names what went wrong. The cluster note matters too: the same wrong word across more than one label in the inventory is a template smell, not a one-off typo. Check the template, not only the one SKU in front of you. Overseas personal-care / sunscreen labels often run through translation and template reuse before they hit FDA DailyMed; that path is fertile for look-alike swaps in safety slots. The fix on the page is one word; the review habit is reading stop-use language for meaning, not only for spelling.
Company class: overseas personal-care / sunscreen importer. No product names, no importer legal names, no DailyMed URLs.
Related: FDA DailyMed wipe label said "doctor" instead of "water" · FDA DailyMed label said "indicted" instead of "indicated" · FDA DailyMed Poison Control line said "night" instead of "right".
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Can translation or template reuse cause wrong words?
Questions about this case
Why doesn't spellcheck catch "adheres" instead of "adverse"?
Both are correctly spelled English words, so a dictionary check passes the line.
Can translation or template reuse introduce wrong words on OTC labels?
Yes. Translation, paste, OCR and template reuse can all drop a look-alike word into safety copy.
What does a reviewer check for in stop-use copy?
That the slot naming the reaction actually names it, here "adverse reactions".
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