BASF has expanded its low 1,4-Dioxane line by adding several new ingredients to the existing range of Flex surfactants and polymers in North America. The BASF Flex solutions allow brands in the cosmetics, personal care and home care industries to use ingredients that are certified low in 1,4-Dioxane for their formulations.
New York State Law Updates Regulations
A recently signed New York state law prohibits the sale of household cleaning and personal care products containing more than 2ppm 1,4-Dioxane and cosmetics products containing 10ppm 1,4-Dioxane by the end of 2022.
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Formulating with Flex helps our partners comply with regulations ahead of the 2022 deadline,” said Scott Thomson, senior vice president, BASF Care Chemicals, North America.
Limit will be Reduced to 1ppm by 2023
For household cleaning and personal care products the limit will be further reduced to 1ppm at the end of 2023. The state of California is also assessing 1,4-Dioxane in home and personal care products through the Safer Consumer Products program and research is estimated to be completed in three years.
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Expanding the Flex range is an important step in providing our customers with a broad portfolio of flexible formulation options. It enables them to meet both their performance criteria and the new industry requirements,” added Thomson.
1,4-Dioxane is a synthetic chemical that forms as a by-product during the manufacturing process of certain surfactants and emulsifiers and is miscible in water. It is used primarily as a solvent and historically as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents that go into commercial and industrial applications.
Source: BASF