Materials & Packaging Materials & Packaging

SC Johnson First CPG Brand to Disclose Product-Specific Fragrance Information to Consumers

In an effort to expand the transparency of its products, SC Johnson announced this week that it will disclose product-specific ingredients of its fragrances, beginning with Glade®. Other SC Johnson brands including Pledge®, Windex®, Shout® and Scrubbing Bubbles® will follow. Consumers will be able to access fragrance information on WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com or by calling 800-558-5252. Ingredient information is available down to .09 percent of the product formula, or the top 10 ingredients when there are at least 20 ingredients – whichever provides the most information.

By Brynn McNally | Published 9 years ago | About a 2 minute read

In an effort to expand the transparency of its products, SC Johnson announced this week that it will disclose product-specific ingredients of its fragrances, beginning with Glade®. Other SC Johnson brands including Pledge®, Windex®, Shout® and Scrubbing Bubbles® will follow.

Consumers will be able to access fragrance information on WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com or by calling 800-558-5252. Ingredient information is available down to .09 percent of the product formula, or the top 10 ingredients when there are at least 20 ingredients – whichever provides the most information.

SC Johnson is the first major consumer packaged goods company to offer product-specific fragrance disclosure to consumers. The company’s decision advances its commitment to product safety and building consumer trust, according to Chairman and CEO, Fisk Johnson.

“Earning consumer trust can only happen when companies are willing to lay it all out there,” Johnson said. “Expanded fragrance disclosure and ongoing transparency initiatives are vital to building consumer trust and credibility. That is why we continue to advocate for and promote transparency.”

Recent evidence supports Johnson’s claim; an April 2015 study commissioned by SC Johnson from GlobeScan found that consumers want to know what is in the products they use. Nearly three-quarters of respondents surveyed indicated that they would choose a company that provides access to detailed lists of its air care products’ ingredients versus a company that does not.

SC Johnson’s disclosure of product-specific ingredients follows several transparency measures it has taken in recent years. The company first launched WhatsInsideSCJohnson.com in 2009 to make information more accessible to consumers. It released enhanced ingredient definitions on the site in 2011, added a full ingredient list to product labels in 2012, added registered products to the disclosure site in 2013, and published details from its day-to-day restricted-use list for product formulas in its 2014 sustainability report.

The announcement also adds to the trend of enhanced product transparency measures undertaken by major companies such as Clorox and Amazon in recent months.