Cleaner Products for CARB

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reviewed its plan to regulate many consumer products at the organization's 3rd public Consumer Product Working Group meeting on June 1, 2006.  CARB proposed volatile organic compound(VOC) limits or reactivity-based formulation limits in products including: aftershaves,astringents and toners, hairsprays, nail coatings, personal fragrance products, hand sanitizers and personal fragrance products.

At the meeting, CTFA executive vice president-legal & general counsel Tom Donegan, stated that the regulations were not technologically and commercially feasible, and urged reconsideration of CARB's attempt to regulate the products.  According to Donegan, the products are already severely restricted by the Food and Drug Administration.    Donegan also pointed out that previous efforts to lower VOC content of fragrance products were unsuccessful.

In response to Donegan's proposal, CARB staff stated that they would be willing to hear from the industry on reformulation for the products they had specifically called into question.  The CTFA has reported that it will prepare technical presentations for CARB to present at the tentatively scheduled July 25,2006 meeting.