FAQs

Click here to subscribe and learn about the fee schedule and the kinds of subscriptions available.

The Subscriber License Agreement can be found here.

In the context of CleanGredients, suppliers are companies that produce intermediate products (e.g., surfactants, solvents, chelants, fragrances, etc.) that are sold for blending into final product formulations. Formulators are companies interested in sourcing environmentally superior ingredients for inclusion in their formulated products to be sold to retail customers or commercial, industrial, or institutional users. A “formulator” subscription allows individuals  to search the database, whereas a “supplier” subscription allows a company  to list and search products in the database.

There is no limit on the amount of users associated with a CleanGredients account.

The primary user is the main person responsible for managing your company’s subscription, and can view company data, manage invoicing and online payment, add and delete other users within the company, and change the status of other users (e.g., set them as the primary, secondary, or invoicing user).  The secondary user is a backup for the primary user, and can do everything the primary user can except add and delete user accounts.  The invoicing user is able to manage invoicing and online payment, but cannot perform other actions related to account management.  All users are able to view ingredient listings, and in the case of suppliers, edit and publish their company’s ingredient profiles.

If you pay online via credit card, your subscription is active immediately.  Otherwise, we will activate your subscription as soon as we’ve received payment of the full amount due.

Your company’s account has been deactivated due to nonpayment.  Contact a primary, secondary, or invoicing user within your company, who can access billing information and either download an invoice or pay online via credit card via the billing page.  If you are not sure who is designated as the primary, secondary, or invoicing user, or otherwise require assistance, contact us at info@cleangredients.org.

You can change your password on the Account Settings page which is located in the upper-right corner of the main navigation page.  You can also use the “Forgot?” link on the login page to reset your password – a new temporary password will be emailed to you.

You can contact us at info@cleangredients.org for assistance with CleanGredients.  If you have questions regarding the criteria for evaluating chemicals, testing protocols or types of data to submit to a Third Party Profiler (TPP), please contact a Safer Choice authorized TPP for more information.

Subscribers may use the names, logos and marks affiliated with CleanGredients with written permission from GreenBlue, in accordance with the Trademark Usage Policy posted on our website.  The CleanGredients name and logo may only be used by active subscribers, and may only be used in connection with product-specific materials if those products are actively listed in CleanGredients.  Contact us at info@cleangredients.org if you are interested in using the CleanGredients logo.

Only users designated as primary, secondary, or invoicing can manage billing information for an account.  If you are designated as this user type, you can access your invoice or input credit card information at the billing page.  If you are designated as a general user and need to manage billing, either ask the primary user on your account to designate you as a primary, secondary or invoicing user, or contact info@cleangredients.org for assistance.

At this time, all credit card payments will automatically renew at the end of your subscription term.  Auto-renewal can be cancelled at any time, and you will receive several notifications before your credit card is charged again.

Requests for a refund must be provided to GreenBlue in writing within 14 calendar days of the commencement date of the applicable initial or renewal term of your subscription.  There are no refunds after such 14-day period.  Refunds shall be made by check, payable to the subscriber, or refunded to the subscriber’s credit card, at the discretion of GreenBlue.  GreenBlue may withhold 20% of the subscription fee in order to cover administrative costs associated with subscription setup and processing of the refund.

To search for ingredients, you will first need to subscribe, create an account, and log in. Then, click on All Ingredients. You can search by product trade name, keyword, Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number (“CASRN”), functional class or supplier company name.

CleanGredients is not a standard, ecolabel or certification, but it can help you get an ecolabel for your product by helping you identify ingredients with superior environmental and human health performance characteristics. Products formulated with safer ingredients may be eligible for recognition through a number of national and international programs, including EPA Safer Choice.

Because all of the ingredients listed in CleanGredients are pre-screened against Safer Choice criteria, finding your ingredients in CleanGredients simplifies the process of obtaining Safer Choice recognition.  Specifically, Third Party Profilers don’t charge to review CleanGredients-listed ingredients when included in a formulated product submitted for Safer Choice review, so your CleanGredients subscription may pay for itself.  Plus, since the ingredients have been prescreened, you can rest easy knowing they won’t cause your product to fail its Safer Choice review.

Refer to this EPA guide for more information on how to get your product recognized by Safer Choice.

Sourcing ingredients listed in CleanGredients for product formulation is a great start, but it is not sufficient basis for making any environmental marketing claims. Such claims should only be made after an eco-label (such as EPA Safer Choice) has recognized your product, and the claims should then be made in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guides.

These values indicate the maximum level at which a given ingredient may be used in a product bearing the Safer Choice label.  Typically, these values are assigned due to unavoidable residuals or impurities of concern that cannot be reduced with current manufacturing best practices.  You can read more about maximum use levels here.

Yes.  Ingredients listed in CleanGredients are typically reviewed against the more stringent criteria the Safer Choice program has established for direct release products (e.g., home car washes, boat cleaners, or graffiti removers).  Ingredient profiles in CleanGredients indicate whether a given ingredient is approved for use in direct release products.  Learn more about the criteria for direct release products here.

Some ingredients listed in CleanGredients may result in a GHS hazard classification for a formulated product in which they are used, depending on the concentration at which they are used and the other ingredients in the product formulation.  Your supplier should be able to help you determine hazard labeling requirements.  However, note that combinations of any ingredients with GHS hazard labeling may result in final GHS hazard labeling requirements for a formulation that are not directly predicted by dilution of the individual components.  OSHA hazard communication regulations and any other locally applicable laws or regulations should be consulted to determine labeling requirements for formulated products.

Please contact GreenBlue at info@cleangredients.org.  We will work with the supplier to address the error.

These symbols reflect the percentage of the components of a given ingredient that fall within the designated category established by the Safer Choice program.  Green circle chemicals have been verified to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data, half green circle chemicals are expected to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data (but additional data would strengthen confidence in the chemical’s status), and yellow triangle chemicals meet Safer Choice Criteria for their functional class, but have some hazard profile issues.  Specifically, a chemical with this code is not associated with a low level of hazard concern for all human health and environmental endpoints.  While it is a best-in-class chemical and among the safest available for a particular function, the function fulfilled by the chemical should be considered an area for safer chemistry innovation.

This page describes the process to list ingredients in CleanGredients.

Suppliers in CleanGredients are recognized as innovators and market leaders for green chemistry.  CleanGredients allows you highlight the safety of your products, while sharing the product information you want and being part of a green chemistry community.  Plus, your customers will appreciate it, since it will help them save time and money in getting their products Safer Choice-certified.

The number of formulators subscribed to CleanGredients has increased dramatically since its launch in 2006 and continues to grow.  The list includes large, well known companies as  well as small businesses, all of which recognize the value of the information CleanGredients provides.  Currently over 130 formulator companies subscribe to CleanGredients.

At a minimum, we recommend that you subscribe once your first product has been approved for listing by a third party reviewer. Some companies wait until the third party reviewer receives final approval from the Safer Choice program. This way if the review process takes longer than expected, you avoid paying before your first product is eligible for listing.

Check to see if the product is visible when you click the “My Ingredients” button.  Is the listing currently active, and is it published? If the listing is active but has not been published, please follow these instructions to publish the ingredient profile and make it visible to other users.  Only ingredients that are set to be published will appear under “All Ingredients”.  If the listing is not currently active, the ingredient profile may indicate why it was deactivated, or you can contact us for more information.

Click the “My Ingredients” button, then click on the ingredient in question and then the “Edit Ingredient” link.  Update the fields as needed, then save the  changes to the ingredient profile.  Be sure to set the “Publish” field to “Yes” so the ingredient profile will be visible to formulators.  Read more here.

Contact your Third Party Profiler or info@cleangredients.org for assistance changing the name of your product.

If your product passes the Safer Choice Master Criteria after a thorough assessment by a Safer Choice-authorized Third Party Profiler, you may be able to list it in CleanGredients even if it belongs to a functional class not used in Safer Choice-labeled products.  Contact us at info@cleangredients.org for more information.

All uses of the CleanGredients logo require prior written consent, and must comply with our Trademark Usage Policy.  Please contact us at info@cleangredients.org to discuss your proposed use of the logo.

You can list an unlimited number of approved products in all functional classes.

Yes, provided it meets the Safer Choice criteria for each functional class it is listed in.  Contact your Third Party Profiler for more information regarding functional class-specific criteria.  At this time, a second ingredient listing must be created to list the product in a second functional class.

Not necessarily.  If you are a supplier and are selling one ingredient under multiple trade names, all of which have identical formulations and have raw materials sourced from the same suppliers, the ingredient can be listed under all of the trade names without requiring a repeated review.  We just require verification that the ingredient formulations are identical – contact your third party profiler or info@cleangredients.org for more information.

If you are a distributor, and are selling an ingredient manufactured by another company under your own brand name, which is already listed in CleanGredients under your supplier’s brand name, you may be able to list the ingredient without submitting it for additional review.  We require a signed statement verifying that no modifications are made to the formulation, as well as a statement from the supplier that they sell the ingredient to your company, via this form.  Contact us at info@cleangredients.org to pursue this option.  Alternatively, you can submit the rebranded ingredient to a third party profiler for review, just as you would with any other ingredient.

If your ingredient merely shares an active ingredient with another listed ingredient, your ingredient will need to undergo review with a third party profiler in order to be listed.  Secondary ingredients, residuals, and contaminants that may be present in your ingredient will be reviewed to ensure that the ingredient is eligible for use in Safer Choice-certified products.

Your annual subscription fee to CleanGredients covers the administrative costs associated with maintenance of the CleanGredients site by GreenBlue.  This fee allows listing of an unlimited number of qualified ingredients in all functional classes, and also provides access to view other active ingredient listings in the database.  Ingredients undergo review prior to listing and every three years thereafter by separate third party profilers, who verify the ingredients’ compliance with EPA’s Safer Choice standard.  Fees paid to these companies do not go to GreenBlue, but instead cover the costs of the review.

Ingredients are required to be reviewed and approved every three years.  Additionally, please notify your Third Party Profiler if there are any changes in your product’s formulation, since these may affect Safer Choice approval status.

You will be required to submit complete formulation information, including individual ingredient SDSs, to the third-party reviewer via the Safer Choice Supplier Community.  The reviewer will evaluate each ingredient against relevant health and environmental endpoints for the functional class of the chemical, relying on publicly available information, chemical analogs, QSAR modeling, and/or proprietary toxicology data if provided.  When your product contains proprietary mixtures, the reviewer will contact your suppliers for further information.  The third-party profiler will provide a report to you, and with your authorization, they will pass the information on to EPA’s Safer Choice program for final approval.  Depending on the current review backlog, ingredient reviews take approximately 4-8 weeks with the third party reviewer, plus 4-8 weeks with Safer Choice.