Selling cleaning products and detergents: the rules by market
The rules cleaning products and detergents must meet before going on sale in the EU, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia: who writes them, who enforces them, and what has to be registered, tested and labelled, with the official source for each. Compliant Always shows which of them apply to your product.
Europe
- European UnionIn the EU, detergents fall under Regulation (EC) No 648/2004, which sets surfactant biodegradability and labelling rules. Hazardous mixtures are classified, labelled and packaged under the CLP Regulation, (EC) No 1272/2008, revised in 2024, and their composition is sent to poison centres. Products that kill harmful organisms need authorisation as biocidal products.Selling cleaning products and detergents in the EU
- United KingdomIn Great Britain, a cleaning product is a chemical mixture: it is classified, labelled and packaged under GB CLP, overseen by the Health and Safety Executive. Detergents also follow the assimilated Detergents Regulation on biodegradability and ingredient labelling, and disinfectants are biocidal products. Northern Ireland applies the EU CLP, REACH and detergents rules.Selling cleaning products and detergents in the UK
- SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, cleaning products and detergents fall under the Chemicals Act and the Chemicals Ordinance (ChemV), which apply EU CLP labelling with Swiss additions, and the Chemical Risk Reduction Ordinance (ORRChem), which restricts phosphates, EDTA and surfactants. Hazardous products are notified to the Notification Authority for Chemicals, attached to the FOPH (BAG), within three months.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Switzerland
The Americas
- United StatesIn the US, a household cleaner that is a hazardous substance carries the cautionary label set by the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and some need child-resistant packaging. A disinfectant or sanitiser is a pesticide: it is registered with the EPA under FIFRA, and its label shows an EPA registration number. EPA's Safer Choice programme certifies products with safer ingredients.Selling cleaning products and detergents in the US
- CanadaIn Canada, consumer cleaning products are consumer products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. Those that are toxic, corrosive or flammable, or in pressurised containers, are classified and labelled under the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001, with a hazard symbol, signal word and statements in English and French. Phosphorus is limited in household detergents and cleaners.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Canada
- MexicoIn Mexico, cleaning products (productos de aseo) are under sanitary control in the General Health Law. NOM-189-SSA1/SCFI-2018 sets the sanitary and commercial labelling and the packaging of household products: ingredients, instructions, lot, hazard legends and pictograms in Spanish, and child-resistant packs for toxic, corrosive or flammable products.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Mexico
- BrazilIn Brazil, cleaning products, disinfectants and household pest-control products are saneantes, regulated by ANVISA under RDC 989/2025. Risk 1 products are notified and risk 2 products, such as antimicrobials and strong acids or alkalis, are registered, by a company holding an ANVISA authorisation. Labels carry set warning phrases in Portuguese.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Brazil
Asia and the Pacific
- AustraliaIn Australia, businesses that import or make the chemicals in cleaning products register with AICIS under the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019. Consumer chemical products follow the labelling rules of the Poisons Standard: signal words, 'KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN', first aid and safety directions, and child-resistant closures for some products. Disinfectants can be therapeutic goods.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Australia
- New ZealandIn New Zealand, a cleaning product with hazardous properties is a hazardous substance under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996. The Environmental Protection Authority approves and classifies it and sets the rules for its label, packaging, safety data sheet and disposal. Importers must work out whether HSNO applies. WorkSafe covers use at work.Selling cleaning products and detergents in New Zealand
- JapanIn Japan, household detergents, cleansers and waxes carry a quality label under the Household Goods Quality Labelling Act, and liquid cleaners and aerosols must meet limits under the Act on Control of Household Products Containing Harmful Substances. Detergents for tableware, fruit and vegetables also fall under the Food Sanitation Act, and new chemical substances are notified before import.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Japan
- South KoreaIn South Korea, household chemical products such as detergents, cleaners and air fresheners fall under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Control Act. Products designated for safety verification are tested before manufacture or import and labelled in Korean. Dishwashing and produce detergents are cleansing and hygiene products under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).Selling cleaning products in South Korea
- SingaporeIn Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) controls hazardous substances under the Environmental Protection and Management Act: importing or selling a controlled substance needs a licence. Household insecticides and repellents against vectors are registered with NEA before sale. Detergents are not cosmetics, and the net quantity is declared in metric units.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Singapore
- IndiaIn India, household cleaners and detergents sold in packs follow the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, which set the declarations on the pack and require packers and importers to register. Plastic packaging falls under extended producer responsibility, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 sets product liability and recall. Toilet soap is a cosmetic.Selling cleaning products and detergents in India
The Middle East
- United Arab EmiratesIn the UAE, detergents fall under Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2024. The supplier provides a safety data sheet, ingredient statement and artwork, labels in Arabic and English, meets phosphorus limits, and holds a MoIAT conformity certificate under ECAS before sale. In Dubai, detergents and biocides such as disinfectants are also registered in Montaji.Selling cleaning products and detergents in the UAE
- Saudi ArabiaIn Saudi Arabia, detergents, surfactants and soap fall under the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) Technical Regulation for Detergents, which requires a certificate from a SASO-accepted body and set label particulars. Disinfectants are excluded. Public health pesticides are registered with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and labelled in Arabic and English.Selling cleaning products and detergents in Saudi Arabia
Other products
- Food
- Supplements
- Beverages
- Alcohol
- Infant formula and baby food
- Pet food
- Cosmetics and beauty
- Toys
- Electrical and electronics
- Clothing, footwear and textiles
- Kitchenware and food contact articles
- Consumer goods
Selling cleaning products and detergents somewhere not listed here? Tell us the product and the market, and we will come back to you with the rules that apply.
Tell us where you sellCompliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.