Home Care

Important topics in the area of Home Care

Detergents regulation

The Detergents and Surfactants Regulation (EU) 2026/405 was published in the Official Journal of the EU on 2 March 2026. Detergents include, amongst others, washing and cleaning products for textiles, dishes or surfaces, fabric softeners and laundry starch. Learn more (in German language)

The Regulation provides for provisions including, amongst others:

on the biodegradability of ingredients
for probiotic cleaning products
for the "Digital Product Passport" for detergents

The Regulation enters into force on 23 March 2026 and applies from 23 September 2029. The Detergents Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 continues to apply until that date and is repealed with effect from 23 September 2029.

Ethanol

The Biocidal Products Committee of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has determined that data from the voluntary oral consumption of ethanol-containing beverages is not suitable for the assessment of ethanol as a disinfectant. Ethanol is therefore to be approved as an active substance in disinfectants. The ECHA's Risk Assessment Committee will decide on its use as a solvent. Learn more

Ethanol is versatile, biodegradable and can be obtained from plant-based raw materials. It is safe for humans in cleaning agents and disinfectants as denaturation protects against misuse.

Classification/labelling/packaging

The Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 ("CLP Regulation") was amended in November 2024, including with regard to the formatting of labelling and provisions on advertising. In July 2025, the European Commission published the so-called "Chemicals Omnibus" or "Omnibus VI" as a proposed regulation. According to this proposal, certain provisions of the regulation published in November 2024 are to be reversed. Learn more (in German language)

New regulations apply to, among other things:

Identification labels
e.g. minimum font size, font and background colour.
Refilling stations
for substances and mixtures classified as hazardous.
Advertising
for mixtures classified as hazardous.

Transitional periods

Transitional periods of 18 and 24 months respectively apply to the new provisions, with a sell-off period of 24 months in some cases.

Quality assessment

IKW Quality Assessment Recommendations (EQ) serve to enable the performance of washing, care and cleaning products to be tested in a practical, reproducible and differentiable manner. In 2025, the EQ for hand dishwashing detergents was completely revised, Part B of the EQ for automatic dishwasher detergents was expanded with a cover sheet, and the first part of an EQ for full-wash and colour detergents was published. Learn more (in German language)

19 IKW publications
To date, a total of 19 recommendations on quality assessment for various product categories and three IKW recommendations on material compatibility have been published.

An IKW working group is currently developing new EQs for heavy-duty / all-purpose detergents, colour / coloured detergents and mild detergents that take current consumer needs and behaviour into account.