CleanGredients
CleanGredients is an online database of chemical ingredients, such as surfactants, solvents and fragrances, that have been reviewed by third-party profilers and meet the U.S. EPA Safer Choice criteria for their function. Formulators use it to find ingredients for Safer Choice products.
What is CleanGredients?
CleanGredients is an online database that lists chemical ingredients meeting the criteria of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice program. It is managed by GreenBlue, a nonprofit organization. Ingredient suppliers list their products after an approved third-party profiler has reviewed them against the Safer Choice criteria for their functional class, such as surfactants, solvents, chelating agents or fragrances.
How formulators use it
A company developing a product for Safer Choice certification must show that every intentionally added ingredient meets EPA’s criteria. CleanGredients gives formulators a searchable list of ingredients that have already been reviewed, saving time in selecting materials and preparing a certification submission.
For surfactants, the relevant criteria focus on aquatic toxicity and biodegradability.
CleanGredients and the Safer Chemical Ingredients List
EPA separately publishes the Safer Chemical Ingredients List, which lists chemicals by identity that EPA has reviewed. CleanGredients lists specific commercial ingredient products from suppliers. The two resources complement each other.
Frequently asked questions
No. It is managed by GreenBlue, a nonprofit, and supports EPA’s Safer Choice program by listing ingredients that third-party profilers have found to meet Safer Choice criteria.
No. It concerns individual ingredients. Finished products must be certified separately under the Safer Choice Standard.
Sources
- CleanGredients, GreenBlue
- Safer Choice Standard and Criteria, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency