California Could Become First State To Require Ingredient Labels On Cleaning Products

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - In a major shift, key California businesses have withdrawn their opposition to a bill requiring labels on cleaning products.

If the bill passes the senate, California will become the first state in the nation to require the listing of chemical products.

Jason Chapman says his small specialty market, Taylor's in Sacramento, caters to a new crop of consumers looking for cleaner products.

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"We have people coming in specifically looking for it," he says.

Including Roxanne Zielke whose mom is allergic to fragrances.

"It's really hard to find anything that's fragrance-free," she said.

To be sure, she buys products that list ingredients.

"If you can see what's in something to be able to make an informed decision on whether to use it or not," she said.

The billion-dollar cleaning supply industry knows that. Now, it's backing a bill that'll require all cleaning products to list ingredients on the bottle, and online.

Sarah Ervin is with The Honest Company, a 5-year-old multi-million dollar company, promoting what is says are safer ingredients.

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"That's been great for business. Our consumers have a lot of trust, loyalty. They keep coming back," she said.

The Honest Company is part of a handful of new companies that voluntarily disclose ingredients to build consumer confidence. But last year, a bill that would have required companies to list on their websites all chemical ingredients failed to pass over concerns that it would reveal trade secrets.

"All the biggest players in that space recognize that this is an important time to start raising the standards for transparency," said Ervin.

Ervin says transparency and confidentiality can go together. And, under the revised Right to Know Act, companies listing ingredients won't need to provide their secret formula, unless it's formulated with a chemical defined as hazardous under state law.

The companies listed in opposition to the measure, who have withdrawn their opposition, declined to be interviewed for the story. The bill passed the Senate and is now headed to the Assembly for a vote. If it fully passes, California would become the first state to require ingredients on cleaning products.

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