What "water-resistant" actually means on a product page

Three different claims

• Water-resistant — protects against splashes and brief rinsing. You can hold it under a tap. You cannot submerge it.
• Waterproof / IPX7 — rated to survive immersion for a set time. This is the one that means you can actually use it in water.
• Washable — usually means the cover comes off and the inner part can be washed. The electronics cannot.

Where the labels are unreliable

IP ratings are self-declared. Nobody tests a low-volume adult product range against the standard, and there is no certification body checking that an IPX7 label on a AED 250 device means what it means on a phone.

That does not make the labels useless — a device designed to be sealed generally is. It means the label is a design intention rather than a guarantee.

The part that actually decides it

On anything rechargeable, the weak point is the charging port. A rubber flap over a USB-C socket is the standard solution and it works — until the flap is left open, or the rubber hardens and stops sitting flush.

Which gives a simple rule that beats any label: keep the port closed, and never charge a device while it is wet. Water ingress almost always happens through the port, not through the body.

If there is no claim at all

Assume wipe-only. A damp cloth with a little pH-neutral cleaner is enough for daily cleaning, and it is what we would do with an unlabelled device ourselves.

Do not run an unlabelled device under a tap to save a minute. Replacing it costs more.