The four levers

Capacity

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The wording In millilitres Which makes it an unusually precise design target Our shelf against the line Capacity means capacity, not fill And it interacts with the amenity economics But larger bottles are a real option Check the stated capacity carefully And it is the only number a buyer has to remember References

177 mL is the line, and our shelf sits on both sides of it.

The wording

A small plastic bottle is one "with less than a 6-ounce capacity". Less than, so six ounces itself is outside the definition.

In millilitres

Six US fluid ounces is about 177 mL. A 177 mL bottle is not a small plastic bottle for this purpose and a 175 mL one is.

Which makes it an unusually precise design target

Most regulations in this library constrain how a product is described. This one constrains a dimension, which means a supplier can answer it with a part number.

Our shelf against the line

228 of the 390 containers are under six ounces and 162 are at or above it. That second number is the useful one for anybody supplying a California hotel.

Capacity means capacity, not fill

The definition is about the container. A 200 mL bottle filled to 150 mL is a 200 mL container, which is the reading that makes the rule workable.

And it interacts with the amenity economics

A larger bottle is more product per room, which is more cost per stay unless the bottle is reused or the guest takes fewer. That is the real reason the industry moved to dispensers rather than to bigger bottles.

But larger bottles are a real option

Particularly for a spa, a boutique property or a vacation rental where the bottle is part of the experience and is replaced between stays rather than per guest.

Check the stated capacity carefully

A bottle described as 6 oz that actually holds slightly less is a problem in the one direction that matters. Where the design rests on the threshold, confirm the capacity rather than taking the name.

And it is the only number a buyer has to remember

Six ounces, which is 177 mL. Every other part of this rule needs a reading; this part is a measurement, and it is the one worth putting on a specification sheet where a hotel buyer will see it.

References

California Public Resources Code 42372 and following, added by AB 1162. A "small plastic bottle" is "a plastic bottle or container with less than a 6-ounce capacity that is intended to be nonreusable by the end user". A "lodging establishment" is "an establishment that contains one or more sleeping room accommodations that are rented or otherwise provided to the public, including, but not limited to, a hotel, motel, resort, bed and breakfast inn, or vacation rental". A "personal care product" for this purpose "shall include only shampoo, hair conditioner, and bath soap". In force from 1 January 2023 above 50 rooms and 1 January 2024 at 50 rooms or fewer, with a written warning for a first violation and up to $500 a day thereafter. codes.findlaw.com

The Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 18 October 2026. The hospitality shelf is 688 rows: 390 containers and 298 closures, 300 PET, 62 HDPE and 28 glass, from 15 to 500 mL with a median of 118. Measured against six US fluid ounces, 228 containers fall under the line and 162 are at or above it. Of the 28 glass containers, 13 are under 6 oz and the definition does not reach any of them.

Written from California Public Resources Code 42372 and following, and from the catalog as it stood on 18 October 2026. Other states have enacted comparable measures with their own definitions and dates, which this property names rather than quotes; read the one that applies to you. Amenity products are also cosmetics, which the grooming property covers.