Glade Releases Product-Specific Fragrance Ingredients
On Monday, SC Johnson revealed the product-specific ingredients used in manufacturing more than 200 Glade air fresheners, scented oils and candles on the company’s disclosure website, whatsinsidescjohnson.com. First launched in 2009, the disclosure site for the global manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and other consumer chemicals has been expanded, making them the first major company to respond to customer demands by offering “product-specific fragrance disclosure.”
“Expanded fragrance disclosure and ongoing transparency initiatives are vital to building consumer trust and credibility,” Fisk Johnson, SC Johnson’s chairman and CEO, said in the company’s press release. “That is why we continue to advocate for and promote transparency.”
As of 2012, consumers had already been able to see the ingredients in Glade fragrances via the company’s fragrance palette; Monday’s announcement of product-specific ingredients puts the company beyond the current industry standards. SC Johnson’s press release states the company will divulge the highest concentrations down to 0.09 percent of the formula, “or the top 10 ingredients when there are at least 20 ingredients, whichever provides the most information.” In the event that.09 percent disclosure pulls up less than 10 ingredients, SC Johnson will disclose the top 10 ingredients, even if they fall below.09 percent.
“Fragrance disclosure is a really big deal and consumers have been asking for it for a really long time,” Janet Nudelman, the director of program and policy for the Breast Cancer Fund, told the New York Times.
Yahoo Health points out that, historically, tracking down fragrance information is “notoriously difficult.” While manufacturers are typically required to disclose ingredients on ingredient lists, the Food and Drug Administration gives companies an exemption to the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act for fragrance formulas — as the precise chemical makeup of a fragrance can be considered a trade secret — and SC Johnson does purchase fragrances from these fragrance houses that typically guard their scent formulas.
In addition to the aroma-based products Glade offers, SC Johnson plans to release the product-specific fragrance information for its other scented products — including brands like Windex, Shout, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Pledge— the ingredients of which can already be found on their disclosure website.
[Featured image via YouTube]
Editor’s note: a previous version of this story included language that did not accurately reflect the availability of consumer information on SC Johnson’s disclosure website. It has been amended accordingly and revised further to clarify the information being made available with regard to formula concentrations.
