Advocacy

California Enacts New Cleaning Product Labeling Law

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation into law to require cleaning product manufacturers to disclose all ingredients and “contaminants of concern” on the product label and the manufacturer’s website. The Cleaning Products Act defines cleaning products as “any product used primarily for commercial, domestic or institutional cleaning purposes, including an air-care product, automotive product, general cleaning product or a polish or floor maintenance product.”

In addition to requiring manufactures to disclose a list of ingredients, the law mandates pictographic images on the label to communicate potential health impacts of toxic chemicals present. The law differs from California Proposition 65 because it requires cleaning product manufacturers to provide ingredient information, expands disclosure to allergens as well as toxic chemicals and does not create a private cause of action. The online disclosure requirement for the Cleaning Products Act takes effect January 1, 2020, and product labeling takes effect January 1, 2021. 

If you have any questions, contact Daniel Ingber at danieli@sema.org.