Policy Priorities / chemicals policy
Liquid detergent capsules
How liquid detergent capsules are regulated today
Liquid detergent capsules are widely used in household cleaning products, combining pre-dosed convenience with concentrated product formulations. They are regulated under the EU’s chemicals and product safety frameworks, notably the CLP Regulation, alongside horizontal product safety rules.
As consumer products intended for everyday domestic use, liquid detergent capsules are subject to strict requirements on classification, labelling and packaging, including specific risk-management measures to prevent accidental exposure, particularly among children and other vulnerable people.
What is changing: Commission CLP study and policy context
Following the revision of the CLP Regulation, the European Commission is conducting a targeted study to assess how risk-management measures for consumer chemical products operate in practice, including for liquid detergent capsules. The study focuses in particular on the effectiveness of Child Resistant Fastening (CRF) and Tactile Warning of Danger (TWD), consumer behaviour, storage practices and understanding of safety information, and whether existing CLP provisions should be adapted or further specified for specific product formats. The outcome of this work may inform future CLP implementation and any potential additional requirements.
The role of the cleaning & hygiene products industry
Our industry sector has taken a proactive and coordinated approach to product safety and performance, going beyond regulatory requirements through a dedicated industry-wide Product Stewardship Programme (PSP) for liquid detergent capsules.
This voluntary programme, developed under A.I.S.E. (now Detergents Europe), is open to all companies placing liquid detergent capsules on the European market. Most major manufacturers of the product category are signatories to the programme.
The PSP covers the full product lifecycle and includes:
- enhanced packaging design, including child-impeding closures and reduced product visibility;
- clear, harmonised on-pack safety information and icons, including yellow safety panels and safe-use icons;
- responsible marketing and advertising practices;
- consumer awareness initiatives, promoting safe storage and use in households, including the Keep Caps from Kids campaign.
A key feature of this initiative is its sector-wide consistency, ensuring that safety measures are applied across brands and markets, strengthening consumer understanding and trust. The programme is also data-driven, with collaborations with European Poison Centres to monitor incident trends and help inform updates to safety measures.
In parallel, the industry has developed common technical tools to support product performance and consumer trust, including the industry’s Detergent Test Protocol. The Detergent Test Protocol establishes testing guidelines for assessing detergent performance across Europe in a consistent and robust way, providing a minimum methodology for comparative testing and supporting more realistic and reliable comparisons of product quality for consumers.
Industry perspective and Detergents Europe’s work
Detergents Europe manages and coordinates the implementation of this Product Stewardship Programme and ensures its alignment with EU policy developments. This includes continuous review and updating of safety commitments, engagement with the European Commission on the effectiveness of existing measures, coordination of EU-wide communication campaigns, and contribution to policy discussions to ensure that voluntary measures remain aligned with regulatory requirements.
In addition, Detergents Europe supports the development and use of common technical tools which contribute to improving the quality and consistency of product testing and supports transparency for consumers and stakeholders.
From an industry perspective, recognition of these initiatives is important to ensure that any future regulatory developments build on real-world evidence, remain proportionate, and support clear and effective communication to consumers.
This work is closely linked to broader sustainability objectives, including packaging design, consumer behaviour and lifecycle performance, as described in the Sustainability and Circular Economy section.