Pressure Points
The Merriam-Webster of Chemicals
Retailers, environmental non-governmental organizations,
state legislators and regulatory agencies are increasingly
focused on ingredient disclosure, offering consumers and
workers information on the ingredients in consumer products
similar to the information found on food and personal care
products. This issue has gained momentum over the past several
years with states such as New York and California and retailers
including Walmart and Target seeking to lead the nation.
Some manufacturers are voluntarily disclosing ingredient
information as part of their commitment to transparency and
to differentiate themselves in the marketplace; the Consumer
Specialty Products Association (CSPA) joined with members
and allies to develop a voluntary disclosure initiative in 2010. As
those voluntary efforts were initiated, it became clear one area of
particular need was a comprehensive tool and resource available
to manufacturers and consumers to provide a consistent and accessible
naming tool to aid in ingredient communication. That is
why, eight years ago, CSPA and its member companies developed
Today, the web-based CSPA database
remains a comprehensive technical
reference—with 776 CSPA dictionary
names, more than 3,000 technical
or other names and over 1,000 trade
names used by 65 suppliers.
the CSPA Product Ingredients Dictionary. Originally designed as a
static, but regularly updated, comprehensive technical reference,
the CSPA dictionary is evolving to respond to these various initiatives
and has been converted into a dynamic web-based tool in an
easy-to-use database.
The CSPA Product Ingredients Database was developed and
designed to provide standard nomenclature and definitions for
companies and organizations as well as complement CSPA’s
voluntary consumer product ingredient communications initiative.
1 The resource was adopted as a nomenclature system, not
only by CSPA member companies such as SC Johnson,2 but also
by government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice program3 and retailers, such as
Walmart’s ingredient communication initiative4.
The CSPA dictionary went through three editions, each with
multiple updates, and has added hundreds of ingredients to
the database. Today, the web-based CSPA database remains a
comprehensive technical reference—with 776 CSPA dictionary
names, more than 3,000 technical or other names and over 1,000
trade names used by 65 suppliers—while allowing for near instantaneous
updates. The CSPA
database is continually revised
to update existing records and
to include new ingredients that
are incorporated in accordance
with the CSPA dictionary policies
and procedures to ensure
accuracy, completeness and
unique identity.
The CSPA database provides
complete definitions for listed
ingredients with technical information focusing on the product
uses of the CSPA members. The database is a technical resource
providing information to:
• Product formulation scientists, who can search for ingredients
currently used in consumer products by product category, chemical
class, use function and other technical descriptors, and find
out who supplies them and under what trade names they are sold;
• Regulatory compliance personnel, who can find further information
on ingredients, including volatile organic compound (VOC)
status in consumer product air quality regulations and information
useful for Safety Data Sheets;
• Ingredient suppliers, who can file applications for their ingredients
and brand names to be included and made known to
product formulators; and
• Consumers, who can use it for their transparency and ingredient
disclosure needs.
In its current web-based format, the CSPA database allows users
to search ingredients by a variety of parameters, such as Chemical
Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers, technical and trade names,
chemical classes, functions in formulations, product categories,
VOCs status and others. The searches can be saved in individual
folders and exported for future use.
I encourage you to visit the CSPA Product Ingredients Database
at www.productingredients.com and consider becoming involved
with this important endeavor. In addition to supplying ingredients,
the CSPA database project is seeking technical experts for
the Nomenclature Committee, direction and advice from the Advisory
Committee and external input from the Advisory Group.
Ingredient communication is often positioned by policy makers
as “right to know” and by consumer advocates as “need to know.”
The CSPA database provides an opportunity for manufacturers to
be part of getting valuable information to those who are demanding
to know. SPRAY
1https://www.cspa.org/sustainability/ingredient-communication-initiative/
2http://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/us/en/
3https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice
4http://www.walmartsustainabilityhub.com/sustainable-chemistry/implementation
guide/section-ii-a-transparency
10 SPRAY September 2017
STEVE BENNETT, PHD
VP, Scientific Affairs, CSPA