What does California require of a cleaning product?

A cleaning product sold in California has to meet up to five sets of state rules. The Cleaning Product Right to Know Act (SB 258) requires a website listing of intentionally added ingredients since January 1, 2020, and label disclosure since January 1, 2021, including fragrance allergens at 0.01 percent or more counted across every source, essential oils included [1]. The Air Resources Board caps VOC content by product category [2]. Proposition 65 requires a clear and reasonable warning before you knowingly expose anyone to a listed chemical [3]. Pesticidal products need registration with the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and so do certain 25(b) products [4]. Covered wipes need a Do Not Flush label.

SB 258 at a glance

The Cleaning Product Right to Know Act is chapter 830, Statutes of 2017, and adds sections 108950 to 108960 to the Health and Safety Code [1]. Its enforcement hook is simple: "A designated product shall not be sold in the state unless" the product and its manufacturer comply (section 108958) [1].

Is your product a designated product?

Section 108952(f) lists four kinds of designated product: air care, automotive (not paint or paint repair), general cleaning, and polish or floor maintenance products [1]. The cleaning definition is broad. A general cleaning product is "a soap, detergent, or other chemically formulated consumer product labeled to indicate" that its purpose is "to clean, disinfect, or otherwise care for fabric, dishes, or other wares," surfaces such as "floors, furniture, countertops, showers, and baths," or other hard surfaces such as "stovetops, microwaves, and other appliances" [5]. A laundry bar, a dish soap and a glass spray all fit.

Excluded are foods, drugs and cosmetics (the statute names toothpaste, shampoo and hand soap), products used only in listed industrial processes such as oil and gas production, food and beverage processing and industrial water treatment, and trial samples labeled not for sale [1].

Who counts as the manufacturer

Section 108952(l) makes the manufacturer either the company that makes the product and whose name is on the label, or the company for which the product is made or distributed, as identified on the label under the federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act [1]. If a contract manufacturer fills your formula under your name, the duty is yours. The private-label decision is on private label or your own formula.

Website and label: what each must show

All rows are from the chaptered text [1]. Ingredient names follow a set order of naming systems in section 108955.5 (the CSPA dictionary or INCI first, then IUPAC, then the Chemical Abstracts index name, then a common chemical name) [1]. The "designated lists" are 22 lists of chemicals of concern defined in section 108952(g), among them California's Proposition 65 list and EU carcinogen and reproductive toxicant lists [1]. The 34 named nonfunctional constituents in section 108952(m) include 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, benzene and several phthalates and parabens [1].

Pesticides as defined by California's Food and Agricultural Code are exempt from the label section and need not print a web address on the label [1]. A registered disinfectant still discloses online.

Fragrance allergens and essential oils

This is the rule that most often catches a small maker. Manufacturers "shall determine the total concentration of each fragrance allergen" by adding its contributions from all fragrance ingredients and other ingredients, "including its presence in essential oils" [1]. The statute names essential oils because an oil is itself a mixture, so a product scented only with essential oils can cross 0.01 percent (100 ppm) for an allergen that never appears as a separate line in your formula. Ask your oil supplier for an allergen statement for each lot. The formulation side is on fragrance and color.

Confidential ingredients

Section 108955 lets you withhold a confidential ingredient's identity only if it has EPA TSCA confidential inventory approval or qualifies as a trade secret under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act [1]. Designated-list ingredients, nonfunctional constituents and fragrance allergens at 100 ppm or more cannot be withheld. You use a generic name "only as generic as necessary," keep your justification, and provide it on request "for audit by the Attorney General" [1]. You never have to disclose amounts or how the product is made.

Update windows and date codes

When a designated list changes, the website must be updated within 6 months and the label within 18 months (section 108956(e) and (f)) [1]. Products made before a deadline are treated as compliant if they show the manufacture date or a code for it, and a manufacturer using codes must post how to read them or give a toll-free number (section 108956(d), (h), (i)) [1]. Keep a manufacture date or lot code on every unit you sell into California.

At work as well as at home

SB 258 also added Labor Code section 6398.5, which requires employers to make the printable ingredient information readily available in the workplace for designated products [1]. Janitorial buyers will ask for it; see selling to janitorial and commercial buyers.

VOC limits from the Air Resources Board

California's consumer product regulation, 17 CCR 94509, caps volatile organic compounds by weight for each product category. Examples for nonaerosol products as read on the Cornell LII text on October 22, 2026: general purpose cleaner 0.5 percent and glass cleaner 3 percent, both from December 31, 2012; bathroom and tile cleaner 1 percent from December 31, 2008 [2]. Exemptions in 94510 include fragrance up to 2 percent by weight for products made before January 1, 2031, with tighter allowances after that date for general purpose cleaners, degreasers, air fresheners, disinfectants and sanitizers [6]. The full category table, the exemptions and the arithmetic are on VOC limits on cleaning products.

Proposition 65

Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires businesses to give a "clear and reasonable" warning before they knowingly and intentionally cause an exposure to a listed chemical [3]. The state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) publishes "safe harbor" warning methods (27 CCR 25602) and content (25603) for consumer products. OEHHA describes these safe harbor regulations as "non-mandatory guidance" [3].

Short-form warnings changed on January 1, 2025. OEHHA proposed the change in October 2023 [3], and the amended 27 CCR 25603(b), filed November 26, 2024 and operative January 1, 2025, now requires a short-form warning to name a chemical [13]. As the Cornell LII copy of the regulation reads, the short form carries the warning symbol from subsection (a)(1); the signal word "WARNING:", "CA WARNING:" or "CALIFORNIA WARNING:" in bold capitals; and one of the set sentences, for a carcinogen either "Cancer risk from exposure to [name of chemical]. See www.P65Warnings.ca.gov." or "Can expose you to [name of chemical], a carcinogen. See www.P65Warnings.ca.gov." [13]. Parallel sentences cover reproductive toxicants and chemicals listed for both [13]. Under 25603(c), a product manufactured and labeled before January 1, 2028 may keep the older short form, which gave only the harm (for example "Cancer") and the website, whenever it is sold [13]. LII republishes the code; confirm the official text with OEHHA before you print.

For a cleaner, the practical questions are whether any ingredient or contaminant is on the Proposition 65 list at a level that causes an exposure, and, if so, how the warning duty falls between you and the stores that sell your product. Ask OEHHA or counsel about the second question. SB 258 links the two laws: Proposition 65 chemicals are on the designated lists, and a nonfunctional constituent that triggers a Proposition 65 warning must be listed online [1].

PFAS

None of the statutes and agency pages read for these state pages shows a California law that bans intentionally added PFAS in cleaning products as of October 22, 2026. California does appear in law firm trackers for PFAS rules in other product types [8]. Check the legislature's site before relying on this, and see PFAS bans for cleaning products for the states that do restrict cleaners.

Pesticides and 25(b) products: Department of Pesticide Regulation

Any product with a germ, mold or pest claim is a pesticide and must be registered with EPA and with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Minimum risk products under FIFRA 25(b) are exempt from EPA registration, but EPA notes "states may require registration under state laws" [9]. DPR's checklist, updated May 4, 2026, says "Certain* 25(b) Minimum Risk Pesticides require registration in California," gives as an example "topical use products containing more than 1% Citronella and/or Citronella oil," and sends makers to a DPR flowchart to decide whether a product qualifies for California's exemption [4]. A registration application needs data supporting every label claim, a final printed label for each version (each color or scent counts), and a product that meets EPA's conditions and California's own minimum risk labeling rules in 3 CCR 6147 [4].

No 25(b) product may make a germ claim; EPA bars claims "to control or reduce microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, that pose a threat to human health" [9]. The fee schedule and the other states are on state pesticide and 25(b) registration.

Wipes: AB 818

California's AB 818 (chapter 590, Statutes of 2021, approved October 6, 2021, adding Public Resources Code 49650 and following [12]) requires the words "Do Not Flush" and the INDA/EDANA do-not-flush symbol on covered nonflushable wipes made on or after July 1, 2022, with EPA-registered wipes given until January 1, 2023, according to Bureau Veritas's summary of the signed law [10]. Covered wipes include general purpose and hard surface cleaning wipes made wholly or partly of petrochemical-derived fibers and likely to be used and flushed in a bathroom [10]. The Senate Judiciary Committee's analysis of the bill describes a ban on flushability claims and civil penalties enforced by public prosecutors [11]. The symbol size and placement rules are in the statute itself; read it before printing. The Illinois and Oregon rules are on Do Not Flush laws for wipes.

California checklist by rule

This page describes these laws as read on the dates shown and is not legal advice. Confirm with the named agency before you sell.

Working out your VOC number for California

The rule most likely to force a reformulation is the VOC cap, because common homemade ingredients such as rubbing alcohol count toward it. VOC limits on cleaning products shows the category table and works an alcohol glass cleaner through the arithmetic.

References

1. California Legislature, SB 258, Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017, chapter 830, Statutes of 2017 (Health and Safety Code 108950 to 108960; Labor Code 6398.5), chaptered text via LegiScan, read October 22, 2026. https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB258/2017
2. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, *Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, § 94509, Standards for Consumer Products*, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/17-CCR-94509
3. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, *Proposition 65 Initial Statement of Reasons: Clear and Reasonable Warnings, Safe Harbor Methods and Content*, October 27, 2023. https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/crnr/isornprmshortformamendments102723.pdf
4. California Department of Pesticide Regulation, *Checklist for Certain 25(b) Minimum Risk Pesticide Registration*, updated May 4, 2026. https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/25b-minimum-risk-checklist.pdf
5. California Health and Safety Code section 108952, via California Public Law, verified October 19, 2026, read October 22, 2026. https://california.public.law/codes/health_and_safety_code_section_108952
6. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, *Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, § 94510, Exemptions*, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/17-CCR-94510
7. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, *Notice of Modification to Text of Proposed Regulation: Proposed Amendments to Article 6, Clear and Reasonable Warnings, Short Form*, December 17, 2021. https://calenviroscreen.oehha.ca.gov/sites/default/files/media/downloads/crnr/noticeshortformreg121321.pdf
8. Morgan Lewis, *State Regulation of PFAS in Consumer Products Continues to Gain Momentum in 2026*, January 21, 2026. https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2026/01/state-regulation-of-pfas-in-consumer-products-continues-to-gain-momentum-in-2026
9. U.S. EPA, *Conditions for Minimum Risk Pesticides*, last updated August 31, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/node/64449
10. Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, *California Passes "Do Not Flush" Labeling Law*, October 25, 2021. https://www.cps.bureauveritas.com/newsroom/california-passes-do-not-flush-labeling-law
11. California Senate Judiciary Committee, *AB 818 (Bloom), bill analysis* (bill as amended February 16, 2021; hearing June 29, 2021). https://sjud.senate.ca.gov/sites/sjud.senate.ca.gov/files/ab_818_bloom_sjud_analysis.pdf
12. LegiScan, *California AB 818, 2021-2022 Regular Session* (chaptered October 6, 2021, chapter 590), read October 22, 2026. https://legiscan.com/CA/bill/AB818/2021
13. California Code of Regulations, title 27, section 25603, *Consumer Product Exposure Warnings, Content*, via Cornell LII (amendments filed November 26, 2024, operative January 1, 2025), read October 22, 2026. https://law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/27-CCR-25603