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Updates: On August 28, 2023, China submitted a notification (G/TBT/N/CHN/1744) to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the proposed National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety and technical standards for cleaning products. The notified document is consistent with the domestic version. Comments are due to the WTO TBT Committee by October 27, 2023.
On June 16, 2023, State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and Standardized Administration published a notice to consult on a draft national standard — GB XXXXX—XXXX Safety and technical standards for cleaning products. It is set to replace the existing GB/T 26396—2011 Technical specification for safety of soaps and detergents and elevate from a recommended standard to a mandatory one. Public comments will be accepted until August 16, 2023.
Compared with GB/T 26396—2011, the draft expands the definition of cleaning products, and introduces normative references for safety testing methods to align with international standards. For toxicology test data, the draft proposed that relevant EU, ISO or OECD standards can be adopted for alternative testing methods.
In particular, any persistent organic pollutants (POPs) listed in Annexes to the Stockholm Convention are prohibited from being used as an ingredient for cleaning products.
The draft specifies prohibited and restricted substances used in cleaning products in the Annex A by referring to EU's REACH Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 648/2004). The details are as follows:
Prohibited substances in cleaning products
| No. | Substance group | Conditions |
| 1 | Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) | This substance is not allowed to be used for the following purposes (The mass concentration of substances contained in other ingredients cannot be exceed 0.1%):
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| 2 | Branched sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates | |
| 3 | Didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) | |
| 4 | Perboric acid | |
| 5 | Alkyl halides (Chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2,2 Tetrachloroethane, 1-Chloropentane, 1,1-Dichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane) | 1. It is not allowed to use this substance in volatile solvents used in surface cleaning or textile cleaning agents sold to the public in the market (The mass concentration of substances contained in other ingredients cannot be exceed 0.1%). 2. For industrial detergents that meet the regulation requirements, if their substances and preparations that contain these substances with a mass concentration of above 0.1%, their packagings should be marked with clearly visible and indelible words: "Only for industrial installations". |
| 6 | Chloroethene | It is not allowed to be used as a propellant in aerosol products. |
| 7 | Diglycol | This substance is not allowed to be used (The mass concentration of substances contained in other ingredients cannot be exceed 0.1%). |
Restricted substances in cleaning products
| No. | Substance group | Conditions |
| 1 | Fluorescent whitening agent | Varieties outside the scope specified in QB/T 2953 shall not be used. |
As proposed, the new national standard shall take effect 12 months after its publication.
