New Clorox App Allows Consumers to See More Ingredients Inside

Buying cleaning products has long been a murky process. Few laws requiring companies to disclose the chemicals are on the books — so of course, most companies do not list what they put into those bottles. But for some public health advocates, required ingredients disclosure has been their rallying cry. Now more companies are responding in kind. For example, Clorox recently announced an expansion of its “Ingredients Inside” program and an updated release of its smartphone app that aims to educate customers about the company’s portfolio of cleaning products, from bleach to room fresheners. Fragrances, those pesky additives where it is almost impossible to sort out how they are formulated, are the latest addition.

And indeed, that is quite a laundry list of fragrances Clorox uses in all of its products. But that list is it — no other additional information about these ingredients was released. Consumers who want more information are directed to a Wikipedia page, or the International Fragrance Association. One can also download a list in PDF format if they want to learn the industry names of the fragrances. So, are these updated apps and disclosures actually helpful to consumers, or is this just marketing in the guise of transparency?

It is true that Clorox is doing more to reveal its ingredients than other cleaning products companies. And fair enough, as far as we know, there has been no massive class-action lawsuit resulting from the nefarious use of fragrances. Most companies test their products rigorously (we would hope) to avoid any costly litigation or branding image headaches. But for the average consumer like me (who barely remembers high school- or college-level chemistry), a list of ingredients on an app does not really tell me much. For example, I am told that the sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) in one of Clorox’s “green” products is “commonly used in household cleaners, detergents and soaps because of its soil removing and foaming abilities.” Okay, so a Wikipedia CliffsNotes description. So, is this ingredient really safe? Are there any health or environmental impacts? And where does SLS come from? How is it manufactured?

It is up to the consumer to do more research if he or she wants more information on ingredients. For example, to learn more about the potential health or environmental risks of sodium lauryl sulfate, I pulled up an article on Mercola.com. The article seemed balanced enough: It dismissed some rumors and untruths about SLS, talked about studies discussing potential health and environmental issues, and gave a decent overview about this ingredient that is in countless consumer packaged goods.

So, while Clorox is ahead of the game when it comes to ingredients disclosure, overall the industry still has a lot of work to do when it comes to ingredients transparency. Here’s a challenge I would like to see these companies take on: Allow customers to link to articles about these ingredients — one from a credible industry association, and one from a credible health or consumer safety NGO. Let the consumer read both sides and make an educated choice if that ingredient is one he or she trusts. And of course, there is a place to disclose these mysterious ingredients: on the product label.

Of course, if all this is too much of a headache, there is one simple solution that is also safe and saves money: Fill a spray bottle with a 5 percent white vinegar solution and a few drops of extract or essential oils, then spray and scrub away.

Image credit: Ingredients Inside App

After a year in the Middle East and Latin America, Leon Kaye is based in California again. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. Other thoughts of his are on his site, greengopost.com.