Why You Need a Detergents Regulatory Compliance Partner?
Legal background
The Detergents Regulation aims to ensure the free movement of detergents and surfactants in the internal market while ensuring a high degree of protection of the environment and human health.
A “detergent” means any substance/mixture containing soaps and/or other surfactants intended for washing and cleaning processes (in any form, and used in household, institutional or industrial contexts).
This regulation harmonises the following:
- Biodegradability of surfactants, and restrictions/bans linked to biodegradability
- Additional labelling of detergents, including fragrance allergens
- Information manufacturers must hold for competent authorities and medical personnel
- Limitations on phosphates and other phosphorus compounds in certain consumer detergents.
Our services
How to Comply With Europe’s Detergent Regulation?
Obelis offers a complete, end-to-end compliance solution for detergents, ensuring full conformity with the EU Detergents Regulation (EC) No 648/2004. This includes verifying whether your product correctly falls within the Regulation’s definition of a detergent, conducting a thorough review of your label, packaging, and ingredient disclosure in line with Article 11 and Annex VII, and ensuring all mandatory statements, fragrance allergens, and surfactant information are properly presented. Where your detergent is also a hazardous mixture under CLP, Obelis supports full alignment with poison-centre obligations by guiding you through UFI generation, PCN submission, and the consistency between CLP and detergent-specific requirements. Through continuous regulatory monitoring and expert guidance, Obelis helps safeguard your product’s compliance and smooth entry into the European market.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 sets out EU rules for placing detergents and surfactants for detergents on the market, to support free movement while protecting the environment and human health.
A detergent is any substance/mixture containing soaps and/or surfactants intended for washing/cleaning processes (household, institutional or industrial).
The Regulation also treats products like auxiliary washing products, laundry fabric softeners, and domestic all-purpose cleaners as detergents.
Surfactants and detergents containing surfactants that meet the criteria for ultimate aerobic biodegradability may be placed on the market without further biodegradability limitations.
The Regulation sets core packaging information requirements and requires content labelling per Annex VII A plus instructions for use/special precautions where required.
Manufacturers placing detergents on the market must, upon request, provide an ingredient datasheet to medical personnel without delay and free of charge.
This depends on whether the product is a hazardous mixture under EU chemicals rules. Where applicable, poison-centre notifications use the harmonised PCN format and the UFI links the notification to the product placed on the market.
