Formulated products: who is promising what?
Who is promising what on home and personal care products in the U.S.?
Business leadership is critical in realizing a safer marketplace. Companies are committing to be more transparent about ingredients and to remove certain chemicals of concern from products.
To track the movement in the marketplace, we made a tally of the public commitments made in the household cleaning and personal care product sectors. For our tally, we have included only those commitments that are explicitly stated on the companies’ websites.
This is a living document and is in no way an exhaustive tally, but we aim to update it over time. Please let us know if you have any suggestions to improve the list — especially if we have missed a company.
Below, find existing company commitments on ingredients never used in a company’s products; on phasing-out, banning or restricting use of chemicals of concern; and on ingredient transparency.
Retailers with “never use” ingredient lists for all products or subset of identified products*
| Products covered | Stated commitment |
|---|---|
| CVS | |
| “Earth Essentials” cleaning products | No phosphates, phthalates |
| CVS store brand baby, beauty and personal care products | No chemicals on CVS store brand restricted substances list |
| Credo Beauty | |
| All products | No chemicals on “The Dirty List” allowed in products (many ingredients) |
| Follain | |
| All products | No chemicals on Restricted Ingredients list allowed in products (many ingredients) |
| Sephora | |
| Products with “Clean at Sephora” Label | Free of: SLS, SLES, parabens, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban |
| Fragrance products with “Clean at Sephora” label | In addition to above requirements, fragrance products must not contain: PTFE/PFOA, styrene, polyacrylamide / acrylamide, acetaldehyde, acetonitrile, methylene chloride, animal fats, oils, and musks, benzalkonium chloride, toluene, resorcinol, acetone, butoxyethanol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, methyl cellosolve, methylisothiazolinone / methylchloroisothiazolinone, mercury and mercury compounds , and bisphenol A (BPA). |
| Target | |
| Essentials & Beauty products with “Wellness Icons” | For a product in this category to carry a wellness icon, at a minimum, it must not include: propyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, phthalates, formaldehyde, formaldehyde-donors or nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). |
| Walgreens | |
| “Well Beginnings” line | No parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde donors |
| Whole Foods (Amazon) | |
| All personal care products | Over 100 ingredients banned |
| Premium Body CareTM products | Over 400 ingredients banned |
| All cleaning products | Eco-Scale product rating system (red, orange, yellow, green tiers) listing “unacceptable ingredients” – ingredients not allowed in products labeled at the different tier levels |
* For a product to be sold in the applicable category or under the identified program, private label and/or national brands, it cannot contain the listed ingredients.
Brand manufacturers with “never use” ingredient lists
| Products covered | Stated commitment |
|---|---|
| Aveda | |
| All products | No parabens, phtalates, and sodium lauryl sulfate |
| Beauty Counter | |
| All products | The Never List – 1500 ingredients banned |
| Burt’s Bees | |
| All products | No phthalates, parabens, petrolatum or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). |
| EO Products | |
| All products | No parabens, sodium laurelth sulfate, synthetic fragrances, aluminum, propylene glycol, polysorbates, phthalates, artificial colors or dyes, GMOs. |
| The Honest Company | |
| All products | NO ListTM – a list of over 3,000 chemicals/ materials not used in products |
| Method | |
| All Products | No chlorine bleach, triclosan, EDTA, phosphates, 2-butoxyethanol, phthalates, parabens, ammonia, ethanolamine (MEA) |
| Mychelle | |
| All products | “The Dirty 30” ingredients banned |
| Seventh Generation | |
| All products | No phosphates, optical brighteners, synthetic surfactants, synthetic fragrances or dyes, volatile synthetic surfactants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs). |
| Tom’s of Maine | |
| All products | No artificial colors, syntheic flavors, or fragrances, artificial preservatives (e.g., EDTA, formaldehyde, parabens, etc…), animal ingredients, ethylene glycol, gluten, grapefruit seed extract, parabens, peroxides, petrochemicals, phthalates, artificial sweeteners |
| Unilever | |
| Baby care products | Formaldehyde releasers/donors |
| Home and personal care | No mecury compounds |
| All products | Iso-parabens, diethyl phthalates (DEP), |
Retailer commitments to ban, phase-out, restrict, or reduce use of certain chemicals of concern
Products as specifiedRestricted Substances List (RSL) including Manufacturing Restricted Substances ListEffective: 2014, updated annually
| Products affected | Specific commitments | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | ||
| Private label Baby, Household Cleaning, Personal Care, and Beauty Products | Restricted Substances List including parabens, formaldehyde donors, phthalates, nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), toluene, and triclosan | Committed: 2018 |
| Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. | ||
| All products | Certain flame retardants banned | Completed; date not specified |
| All private label products | Reductions in lead, cadmium, and phthalates (in plastics) | In effect; date not specified |
| Costco | ||
| Apparel, bedding, home goods, pet beds, furniture, personal care products, cleaning products, Kirkland SignatureTM food packaging, Kirkland Signature baby wipes and diapers | Costco Smart Screening protocol: Tests these items for chemicals of concern that are not restricted by law and works with suppliers to remove chemicals from items | Committed: 2017 |
| CVS | ||
| All CVS Brand products | Removed Cocamide and Cocamide DEA | Completed: 2013 |
| Essence of Beauty Products | Parabens removed | Completed: 2013 |
| “Essence of Beauty” body and hand creams | Artificial dyes removed | Completed: 2013 |
| All CVS brand products, most name-brand products | Triciosan removed | Committed: 2014 Effective: 2015 |
| CVS Brand Products | Microbeads removed | Committed: 2014 Effective: 2015 |
| CVS Brand baby products, certain non-medicated adult cleansing wipes | Formaldehyde removed | Committed: 2014 Effective: 2015 |
| All CVS store brands in baby, beauty and personal care products | Restricted Substances List (RSL) including parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde donors | Committed: 2017 Goal completion date: 2019 |
| Rite-Aid | ||
| Private label formulated products | Elimination of triclosan, formaldehyde, toluene, butylparaben, propylparaben, dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and nonylphenol ethoxylates | Committed: 2016 Goal completion date: 2020 |
| Target | ||
| Personal care, Beauty, Household cleaning, Baby care products | Remove phthalates, paraben, formaldehyde, formaldehyde donors and NPEs. | Committed: 2017 Goal Completion date: 2020 |
| The Home Depot | ||
| Residential Household Cleaning Chemicals | Remove propyl-paraben, butyl-paraben, diethyl phthalates, dibutyl phthalates, formaldehyde, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), triclosan, toluene, trichloroethylene (TCE). | Committed: 2018 Goal Completion date: End of 2022 |
| Walmart (U.S), Sam’s Club U.S. | ||
| Health & beauty, Household paper, Pet supplies, Household chemicals, Cosmetics & skincare,Infant consumables, Janitorial | Remove propyl paraben, butyl paraben, triclosan, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, formaldehyde, nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) Reduce chemicals on Walmart Priority Chemicals list | Committed: 2013 |
| 10% weight reduction in Walmart Priority Chemicals (or consumables chemical footprint) | Committed: 2017 Goal completion date: 2022 | |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance | ||
| Walgreens and Boots owned brand and exclusive retail products in: baby, beauty, personal care, and household cleaning products | Elimination of substances on the Restricted Substances List, including parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and formaldehyde donors, nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). | Effective 2018 Goal Completion date: End of 2021 |
Brands’ commitments to ban, phase-out, restrict, or reduce use of chemicals of concern
All productsAcutely orally toxic ingredients and chronic toxicants phased outGoal completion date: 2020
| Products affected | Specific commitments | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Aveda | ||
| All products | Eliminate parabens | Completed: No date specified |
| Clean Control Corporation | ||
| All products | Inorganic phosophorus | Completed: No date specified |
| Select floor strippers, concentrated laundry detergents | No ammonia No monoethanolamine (MEA) | Completed: No date specified |
| All products | 2-butoxy ethanol phthalates | Completed: No date specified |
| Johnson and Johnson | ||
| All baby products All new products by 2015 (with rate exceptions> | Formaldehyde releasers removed | Completed: 2015 |
| All products | Parabens banned (except methyl, ethyl and propyl in adult products) Fragrance oils: animal-derived ingredients, nitromusks and polycyclic musks, tagetes, rose crystal, diacetyl, Diethyl phthalate (DEP) | Completed: 2015 |
| All products | Microbeads removed | Committed: 2013 Completed: 2017 |
| All products | Triciosan | Committed: 2011 Completed: 2015 |
| P&G | ||
| Cleaning products | Phosphates phased-out | Completed: 2016 |
| All formulated products | No alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates, benzene, BPA, heavy metals, microbeads*, organotins, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated bphenyls (PCBs), phthalates*, triclosan, triclocarban* | Completed: No date specified * These ingredients are not used in current products and P&G has committed to removing them from exisitng products |
| Reckitt Benckiser | ||
| All products | Formaldehyde, dichlorvos, glycol ethers (monoethylene series), paradichlorobenzene (PDCB) removed | Completed: 2006 |
| Formaldehyde-donor preservatives, Non-geranyl nitrile fragrance raw materials, certain brominated flame retardants, alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APEs), NPEs removed | Completed: 2007 | |
| Chlorpyrifos, certain boron compounds, geranyl nitrile (GN) fragrance raw materials removed | Completed: 2009 | |
| Polyethylene beads to be removed | Goal completion date: 2018 | |
| Isothiazolinones (preservatives) | Committed: 2017 | |
| Cosmetics | Isoparabens removed | Completed: 2015 |
| All products except healthcare products | PVC packaging of household products removed | Completed: 2009 |
| Seventh Generation | ||
| Laundry detergent | Boric acid removed | Committed: 2014 Completed: 2015 |
| Formulated products | Benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) | Goal Completion Date: 2020 |
| SC Johnson | ||
| All products | No materials on the “Not Allowable” list (unless at restricted levels) | Committed: 2001 |
| Unilever | ||
| Most leave-on personal care products Rinse-off personal care products | Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) removed | |
| All products | Triclosan, triclocarban removed | Committed: 2015 Completed: 2017 |
| New and existing fragrance formulations | Lyral removed | Completed: 2017 |
| Exfoliating products | Plastic scrub beads | Completed: 2014 |
Retailer commitments on ingredient transparency to consumer
| Products affected | Specific commitments | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Rite Aid | ||
| Private label formulated products | Encourages suppliers to publicly disclose all ingredients online or on pack, including the constituents of fragrance and other generic ingredients | Committed: 2018 |
| Target | ||
| Beauty, baby care, personal care, and household cleaning formulated products | Achieve full transparency, including generics such as the term “fragrance” | Goal completion date: 2020 |
| Walmart | ||
| Health & beauty, Household paper, Pets & supplies, Household chemicals, Cosmetics & skincare, Infant consumables, Janitorial | Encourages suppliers to disclose all ingredients online (by product) and on product label | Committed: 2013 Effective date: 2015 for online disclosure Effective date: 2018 product label disclosure |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance | ||
| Walgreens and Boots owned brand and exclusive consumer retail formulated products in the baby, beauty, personal care, and household cleaning product categories | Will pursue full ingredient transparency, including generic terms such as “fragrance” and will annually measure and report progress toward fuller ingredient disclosure | |
Brand manufacturers commitments on ingredient transparency to consumer
| Products affected | Level of transparency | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Beautycounter | ||
| All products | ingredient name and function at product level online | Completed: No date specified |
| Clean Control Corporation | ||
| All products | Ingredient name and function for non-fragrances at product level | Completed: 2014 |
| Clorox | ||
| All products | Ingredient name and function for non-fragrances at product level | Effective: 2015 |
| Discloses online the presence of all EU fragrance allergens when present at a concentration of 0.01 % in products | Effective: No date specified | |
| Ecos (Earth Friendly Products) | ||
| All products | Ingredient name and function at product level online and product label | Completed: No date specified |
| The Honest Company | ||
| All products | Ingredient names at product level online and product label | Completed: No date specified |
| Personal care and cosmetic products | Identifies EU fragrance allergens when at 0.01% in rinse off products and 0.001% in leave-on products | Completed: No date specified |
| Method | ||
| All products | Ingredient names, function, safety information at product level | Effective: 2009 for online disclosure Effective 2012 for product label disclosure |
| P&G | ||
| All products | Preservatives palette | Effective date: 2017 |
| Fragrance palettes (with conditions) | Committed: 2017 Goal completion date: 2019 | |
| Reckitt Benckiser | ||
| All products | Ingredient name and function for non-fragrances at product level online and on-pack | Effective: 2009 Committed: 2017 for product label disclosure on US cleaning products |
| Disclosure of 99.99% of fragrance ingredients online and disclosure of fragrance ingredients below 100 ppm that are on one of the recognized hazard lists | Committed: 2017 | |
| Disclosure of all known fragrance allergens online when present in products >100 ppm | Effective: 2017 | |
| Full disclosure of dyes and preservatives | Completed: No date specified | |
| SC Johnson | ||
| All products (staged roll-out by product category) | Ingredient names and functions for non-fragrances at product level online | Effective: 2009 |
| Exclusive Fragrance Palette online | Effective: 2012 | |
| Product-specific fragrance information (with conditions) online | Effective: 2015 | |
| Fragrance and non-fragrance skin allergen palette online and then by product | Effective: 2017 Completed: 2017 for Palette Goal completion date: 2018 for product-level information | |
| Seventh Generation | ||
| All products | All ingredients disclosed on product packaging | Effective: 2008 |
| All ingredients, materials, packaging, and supply chain disclosed publically | Goal completion date: 2020 | |
| Unilever | ||
| All products | Non-fragrance ingredient names and function | Effective: 2017 |
| Fragrances at product level online (and available via SmartLabel QR code on product label) | Committed: 2017 Goal completion date: 2018 | |
| Personal care products | Flag EU fragrance allergens on product label | Committed: 2017 |
For more examples of companies leading on ingredient transparency, visit EDF’s Rules for Online Disclosure
Last updated: February 2019