- Council of the EU
- Press release
- 10 June 2025 14:00
The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal on the update the regulation on detergents and surfactants. The new rules simplify the placement and free movement of this products in the internal market, while accompanying market developments in terms of product innovation (such as microbial cleaning products or detergents containing microorganisms) and consumer habits (such as bulk detergent sales and refills). It also enhances the compliance and safety of imported products made available on the market by requiring non-EU manufacturers to appoint an authorised representative to support compliance and liaise with local authorities in case of need.
The provisional agreement empowers the commission to improve the biodegradability of surfactants in detergents (in particular in films covering capsules). It completes and makes more digitally available the information of labelling (for instance, including fragrance allergens and preservatives), and makes the information from manufacturers available to authorities and medical personnel, and notably to poison centres. It also asks the Commission to analyse the potential impacts of reducing the levels of phosphorus, and forbids animal testing.
Today’s deal on detergents is a win for health,
Biodegradability and no GMOs
The agreement empowers the Commission to set stricter requirements for the biodegradability of water-soluble polymeric films used to encapsulate detergents. The Commission is also empowered to assess the scientific evidence on the need to introduce biodegradability criteria for other organic substances intentionally added in detergents in concentrations of at least 10 % of the total mass of substances, excluding water. The agreement includes a revision clause that foresees the possibility of further lower the targets in the future.
Analysis on impact of reducing phosphorus content
Council and Parliament agreed to ask the Commission to investigate the feasibility and the potential impacts of reducing the levels of phosphorus in detergents. In particular, the Commission should find out if the reduction of phosphorus does not compromise the effectiveness of the products to the point that it is necessary to increase their use, which can have a negative impact on the environment (i.e. requiring additional cleaning cycles or hotter water). The Commission may come with new legislative proposal after its assessment to further reduce phosphorus content.
No animal testing
The compromise agreement reaffirms the ban of the REACH Regulation on detergents and surfactants that have been produced by using animal testing. Only products developed by using non-animal testing methods will be allowed in the internal market. In very exceptional cases, the Commission will be empowered to grant a derogation to that rule, only if the ingredient is essential, irreplaceable, and the need for animal testing is justified.
Next steps
The provisional agreement reached with the European Parliament now needs to be endorsed and formally adopted by both institutions.
Background
Even if detergents deliver health and hygiene in our daily life, they are chemicals with intrinsic properties that may pose some risks to human health and the environment. A legislation of 2004, (‘the Detergents Regulation') lays down the rules that detergents need to comply with to be placed on the EU market. The Commission’s proposal of April 2023 tries to address short-comings of the existing legislation and solve the overlaps between the Detergents Regulation and other pieces of EU chemicals legislation that lead to duplications in the labelling requirements and complicate the effective communication of safety and use information to consumers.
The detergents industry accounted for 4.2% of the production value of the total chemicals sector in 2018, with a market value of € 41.2 billion (in 2020). The manufacturing of products for the whole market that includes both consumer and professional products involves around 700 separate production sites.
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Ferran Tarradellas EspunyPress officer
- +32 473 95 45 74
- +32 2 281 6291
- @TarradellasEU
