Shi Rongying,Shi Aiqin

Shanghai Hutchison Whitecat Co.Ltd.,China

Abstract

The development and function of the third-party testing platform and the evaluation of detergent products by domestic professional third-party evaluation organizations were summarized.The evaluation methods and indexes of hand washing dish detergent and fabric detergent by different third-party evaluation organizations were also concluded.The influence of third-party evaluation on the development of detergent products in China is presented.

Key words

dish detergent;laundry detergent ;laundry powder;third-party evaluation

With the improvement of economic level,more and more consumers are no longer the “handschopping people”,but have a further pursuit of product quality.Now more consumers have the will and ability to pursue high-quality goods.When we consume daily,we all encounter such problems: Which product has higher cost performance,better quality and is more suitable for us? Most of the time,we may choose based on the recommendation of relatives and friends or via advertisements,but there are much uncertainty and unreality in this way.In recent years,a number of third-party evaluation platforms have swarmed into consumers' eyes to provide them with shopping reference[1]by testing and rating products.However,with the development of network,mobile phones and other communication equipment,information dissemination has become more and more convenient,which makes the evaluation results affect consumers' shopping choices particularly easily.

Introduction to third-party evaluation

Third-party evaluation refers to a third-party platform organization that doesn't involve business interests,conducts commodity inspection and testing activities in an impartial and authoritative non-party capacity according to relevant standards.Third-party evaluation organizations generally have four characteristics: Independent to consumers and manufacturers;Not controlled by the government;Not for profit;The laboratory has been approved or certified by the government regulatory agency.Figure 1 is a work flowchart of the third-party evaluation.

The third-party evaluation is based on the position of consumers,providing consumers with real experience of various products,and selecting high-quality products for consumers through product rating.On the other hand,it helps to urge enterprises to upgrade their products and improve their formulations.The third-party evaluation organization,by collecting consumption hot issues and relevant information,locks commodity categories with a great degree of attention online and offline from multiple angles.Third-party evaluation agencies use stricter standards to compare consumer goods in the domestic market,which can be a useful supplement for the government in the process of product supervision.The national standard is a red line,and compliance with the national standard is the foundation.The product gap between qualified and high-quality products is screened out by the third-party evaluation organization for consumers.

Figure 1.The working process of third-party evaluation

Germany was the first country to have thirdparty evaluation.At the end of the 19th century,a large number of third-party evaluation organizations emerged in Germany to carry out commodity inspection and publish publications.In 1990,consumer organizations jointly established the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT).So far,ICRT has more than 35 members worldwide.In China,only the Hong Kong Consumer Council,Shenzhen Consumer Council,Mingjian and Okoer.com have joined ICRT.Many emerging third-party evaluation institutions in China are developing and growing,their evaluation ability,credibility and influence still need to be further improved,and the whole third-party evaluation industry is not perfect.

Analysis on evaluation results of detergent products by third-party evaluation platforms

In recent years,third-party testing platforms such as the Hong Kong Consumer Council of China,the Shanghai Consumer Council,the Shenzhen Consumer Council,and Okoer.com have been evaluating detergent products one after another.Their published articles have also had some impact on the industry and among consumers.

Comprehensive evaluation of hand washing dish detergents

The evaluation report released by the Consumer Council of Hong Kong,China,60% Sensitive Preservatives Detected in 35 Detergent,Detergents with Large Disparities in Washing Amount[2]tested 35 products,of which 23 were general detergent formulations,8 were declared ultra-concentrated formulations and 4 were concentrated formulations.Okoer.com selected 15 best-selling hand-washing dish detergent products in the Chinese market for evaluation,and the evaluation results were published in Who washes the dishes after your meal? Remember to choose these 4 excellent detergents for them.[3]The evaluation report 2018 Comparative Test Report on Food Detergents-Household[4]issued by Shenzhen Consumer Council,evaluating 10 household detergent products.

When analyzing and summarizing these reports,it is also found that the evaluation items in these reports not only refer to the national standard GB 14930.1-2015 National Standard Detergent for Food Safety Detergent,GB/T 26396-2011 Technical Specification for Safety of Washing Products,GB/T 9985-2000 Detergent for Hand Washing Tableware,GB/T 24691-2009 Fruit and Vegetable Detergent,etc.But in view of the use scenarios in contacting with skin and environmental protection,reference was made to the requirements of domestic Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (2015 Edition),European Union's Registration,Evaluation,Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH),the German Cosmetic,Toiletry,Perfumery and Detergent Association (Industrieverband Koerperpflege- und Waschmittel e.V.),IKW's advice[5]on the quality evaluation of hand-washing detergent cleaning efficacy,and relevant laws and regulations such as the detergent regulation EC No 648/2004 issued by the European Parliament and the European Council,so as to conduct comparative tests on the quality of handwashing dish washing detergents.

Evaluation items of hand washing dish detergents

In the report released by the third-party platform,it can also be seen that its evaluation items focus on issues that consumers pay attention to: For example,safety performance,cost performance,efficacy and packaging,etc.

The safety of hand-washing dish detergent products has always been concerned by consumers.Therefore,the third-party testing platform has tested the possible pollutants or controversial components in detergent products.

The preservative added to domestic hand-washing dish detergents is mainly isothiazolinone preservative,and since July 16,2015,EU has banned leave-on cosmetics containing “Casson” from entering the market.Since February 12,2017,leave-on cosmetics containing MIT are also prohibited from entering the EU market.For rinse-off products,the recommended MIT safety concentration is 15 mg/kg to prevent contact allergy of consumers.In the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (2015 Edition),the maximum usage of MIT is specified as 0.01%,while the CMIT/MIT mixture (in a ratio of 3: 1) cannot exceed 0.001 5%.The use and contact of dish detergent are similar to those of rinse-off skin care products.It is suggested to guard against the risk of sensitization.Okoer.com and Hong Kong Consumer Council of China also tested the addition amount of Casson in detergent on this basis.

For some hand-washing dish detergents claiming bacteriostasis,it is suggested to check whether triclosan is added.The basis of Okoer.com is that German Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) pointed out in 2014 that the bacteriostatic formula in daily chemical washing products commonly used at home is not good for health,and triclosan should not be used in other daily consumer products except in necessary medical fields,because the concentration and acting time of bacteriostatic ingredients in such daily products are generally unable to achieve effective bacteriostatic effect,and there is a risk that bacteria will develop drug resistance.

For the surfactant with risks-nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE),Okoer.com and Shenzhen Consumer Council measured its content.According to the EU Directive 2003/53/EC,the content of nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (NPE) is regulated.Since 2005,the concentration of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates in various products such as household cleaning agents shouldn't exceed 0.1%.

Okoer.com also evaluates whether the product contains polyethylene glycol or its derivatives,based on the fact that polyethylene glycol (PEG) or its derivatives can make the skin easy to penetrate,thus opening the door for harmful substances to penetrate into the skin.A panel of experts from the US Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) pointed out that cosmetics containing polyethylene glycol or its derivatives should not be used on damaged or rash skin.

According to EU detergent regulation (EU) No.648/2004-“when one or more of 26 sensitizing fragrances in detergent products reaches 0.01%,manufacturers must mark on the label to remind consumers”,Okoer.com uses gas chromatographymass spectrometry to test the contents of 26 allergens.The 26 allergens were: Limonene,benzyl alcohol,linalool,methyl octynoate,citronellol,geraniol,citral,cinnamaldehyde,hydroxycitronellal,fenchyl alcohol,cinnamyl alcohol,eugenol,isoeugenol,isomethyl ionone,coumarin,Lily aldehyde,farnesol,Lyral,amyldnnamyl alcohol,α-Amyl cinnamic aldehyde,α-Hexylcinnamaldehyde,benzyl benzoate,benzyl salicylate,benzyl cinnamate,methyl atratate extract,tree moss extract.[6]

In the testing of heavy metals by Shenzhen Consumer Council,besides the lead and arsenic contents in the national standard,the mercury and cadmium contents in the products were also tested.

The third-party testing platform not only evaluates the composition of the product,but also tests and compares the retail price,washing capacity,and the cost per 100 dishes,etc.,so as to calculate the cost performance of the product.

Although there are tests on the pH value of products in the national standard,Shenzhen Consumer Council has related the test results of pH value to the skin affinity of products for evaluation.Because long-term use of detergent with strong alkalinity is easy to damage sebum membrane,leading to bacteria breeding and infection and inflammation;While strong acidity will easily irritate the skin and lead to sensitive and fragile skin.

For market samples claiming to be concentration product,there is no definition of concentration in the current food detergent standards.When evaluating concentrated detergent,Shenzhen Consumer Council referred to the relevant regulations of the People's Republic of China's Light Industry QB/T 1224-2012 Liquid Detergent for Fabric.The total active substance content of 15% or more is ordinary laundry detergent and 25% or more is concentrated laundry detergent,which serves as the criteria for judging the concept of concentration.

The third-party testing platform also pays special attention to the information on the product package,whether all ingredients are marked in the label data,including the chemical name,preservative ingredients,possibly sensitized spice ingredients,and whether they are arranged in the order of dosage from high to low.All ingredient labeling can better protect consumers' right to know so that consumers can choose products they like and suitable for them,and avoid ingredients with strong irritation and easy to get allergy.In addition,local supplier contact information and usage methods are included in the comprehensive evaluation rating items.

In the evaluation of Okoer.com,the components of the packaging materials were specially tested.Its German laboratory conducted the test according to the European Union Directive 94/62/EC on packaging materials.The total amount of heavy metals such as lead,cadmium,mercury and hexavalent chromium in the packaging materials shall not exceed 100 mg/kg.If polyvinyl chloride,polyvinylidene chloride or chloride are detected in the packaging materials,the product evaluation results will be affected.

Comprehensive evaluation of fabric detergents

The Consumer Council of Hong Kong of China released 34 Washing Powder,Liquid Laundry detergent and 4 Laundry Capsules Showing Outstanding Decontamination Efficiency[7]which tested 16 washing powder,15 liquid laundry detergent and 3 laundry capsules at home and abroad.Shanghai Consumer Council released a report Decontaminate? Skin-friendly? How's the Actual Effect of Washing Liquid and Washing Powder?[8]A total of 30 samples,9 samples of washing powder and 21 samples of washing liquid were tested.Fifteen of them claim to be suitable for children's clothing,and three are concentrated products.Is the Popular Washing Liquid Really as Good as Advertised? Here's the Truth You Want[9]released by Youke.com evaluates 9 best-selling laundry detergents in terms of composition,washing performance,etc.;10 bestselling laundry detergents were evaluated in These Washing Liquid Will Help You Out in the Agreed Big Washing Day;[10]and in the On the Washing Day For New year,You Need an A-class Washing Powder[11]selects 7 laundry power,and evaluates them in terms of detergency,composition and other defects.

Figure 2.Testing 18 stains by Hong Kong consumer council

Evaluation items of fabric detergent

Compared to the evaluation of hand-washing dish detergent,the third-party test platform refers to or designs more test solutions to evaluate the washing performance of products when evaluating fabric detergent.The cost-performance of the product is still one of the focuses of each evaluation organization.Retail price,capacity,source,recommended dosage,average dosage per time,the average usable number of times per box or bottle,average laundry cost per time,etc.will be listed and compared.

In the process of testing the detergency of products,various testing platforms are no longer limited to the national standard detergency testing methods of stained cloth,and have simulated common stains in real life.The Hong Kong Consumer Council tested 18 stains and classified them into 4 categories: oily stains (mineral oil,foundation,beef fat,sebum simulating human secretion);enzyme stains (chocolate,soil mixed with grass,blood and carrot puree);oxidizable stains (grass,coffee,tea,blueberry,tomato sauce,wine,mustard and soy sauce);other stains (water-soluble paint and oilsoluble paint).Figure 2 shows 18 stains tested by the Hong Kong Consumer Council,China and their decontamination effects.The stains simulated by the Shanghai Consumer Council are Coke,Orange Juice,Milk,Tomato Juice,Children's Urine Stains,Soy Sauce,etc.Okoer.com tests 15 common stains (wine,fruit juice,tomato sauce,carrot puree,mustard,chocolate sauce,ballpoint pen oil,mud stains,grass stains,blood stains,waste engine oil,fried edible oil,liquid foundation,lipstick and toothpaste) and smears them on fabric strips with different textures (cotton,cotton-polyester blend).After washing,professional inspectors make sensory evaluation and score on the residual degree of stains.In addition,the whiteness of the washed contaminated cloth is compared with that of the non-contaminated cloth strips by professional instruments to determine the residual stain.In addition to the detergency test,different thirdparty testing organizations also carry out different tests on the whiteness,fixation,anti-dyeing effect and mildness of the products after washing.The Hong Kong Consumer Council of China tested the whiteness and fixation of laundry after washing: Cleaning white cloth pieces of 4 different materials (including pure cotton,mixed cotton and polyester,polyester and nylon) 6 times to measure the whiteness of the cloth pieces and the average gray scale score;Degree of fixation of clothing: Measure the color change of 22 different colors of test cloth after cleaning.Evaluation of anti-dyeing effect of Okoer.com on fabric detergent;Three red T-shirts were washed with a washing machine at the same time,and one white T-shirt was added to the first,fifth and tenth washes to wash together,so as to observe whether the white clothes will be dyed,whether the dyeing situation will weaken with the multiple washes of the colored clothes,and whether the fabric surface will be damaged or bleached after the colored clothes are washed for 10 times.The Shanghai Consumer Council will conduct skin-friendly tests on its products.Laundry liquid (washing powder) products are often advertised as “natural”,“skinfriendly” and “non-irritating”,“mild and nonirritating” and “suitable for baby clothes” to show their characteristics of not hurting skin.It is mainly showed in 2 aspects: First,the washing process does not hurt the skin,that is,the hand washing process will not cause skin allergy,tingling,etc.;Second,the residue after washing does not hurt the skin,that is,the washed clothes will not cause skin allergy.The evaluation included the satisfaction survey of washing without skin injury and the skin injury test of the residue after washing.In the satisfaction survey of washing clothes without hurting skin,volunteers evaluated the fragrance,solubility,burning feeling,itching feeling,tingling feeling,wrinkle phenomenon,mild without hurting hands,dryness after use,tightness feeling,easy flushing,adverse reactions,etc.in a manner simulating hand washing clothes.In the skin-friendly test for the residue after washing,the normal saline soaking solution of the stained cloth after washing is taken as a patch test sample,and the sample is pasted on the skin surface for 0.5,24 and 48 hours to observe whether the irritation is generated to the skin.

In the component evaluation of fabric detergent,some components are tested in the same way as handwashing dish detergent.For example,the Shanghai Consumer Council and Okoer.com have tested the content of the preservative Casson in the product,and Okoer.com has tested and analyzed 26 allergens in the essence of the product.In addition,Okoer.com evaluated whether the fluorescent whitening agent was added to the product in the evaluation of washing powder: Okoer.com cited the reminder of the American environmental protection organization,the Environmental Working Group (EWG),that fluorescent whitening agents can be leached from fibers under the action of sweat,causing skin allergy or itching under the action of sunlight,so light-sensitive consumers should try to avoid contact with such substances.In 2015,the European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC) pointed out when revising the certification principles of EU eco-label products that some fluorescent whitening agents are difficult to degrade naturally,which will cause a burden on the environment,and manufacturers are not recommended to use them in products.The Shanghai Consumer Council will consider that consumers may come into contact with laundry detergent during hand washing,and refer to the Detection Method of Dioxane in Cosmetics issued by CFDA to conduct dioxane test on laundry detergent samples.

In terms of product packaging,the evaluation focus is basically the same as that of hand-washing dishwashing detergent.Third-party test platforms pay attention to product labels one after another to check whether the labels are marked with ingredient information,full product ingredients,service life,safety warnings in Chinese and English,supplier contact methods,etc.

Comparison of third-party evaluation items with national standards

After sorting out the evaluation items and contents of the above several evaluation websites,this paper summarizes and compares the differences in composition and efficacy between the test items of various third-party evaluation organizations and the national standard.Table 1 is the comparison of hand-washing dish detergent test items,and Table 2 is the comparison of fabric detergent test items.

Table 1.Comparison of test items of hand washing detergent

Table 2.Comparison of test items of fabric detergent

Conclusion

Based on the evaluation items of each testing platform,each focuses on the safety,efficacy,cost performance and label information of the products.Through cooperation with the laboratory,the components in detergent products are detected,and the decontamination performance is evaluated by simulating the actual washing effect and other operations.The third-party testing platform not only looks at the product by conforming to the national standard,but also puts forward higher requirements for product quality.The test items generally refer to the standards of China,the European Union,the World Health Organization,etc.

Due to the emergence of third-party evaluation organizations,the information asymmetry between consumers and manufacturers has been gradually broken down,and objective data have been used to provide consumers with consumption guidelines,releasing the power of consumers' free choice.Of course,this also puts forward higher requirements and challenges for detergent manufacturers.In the process of product development,more consideration and development are needed from the perspective of consumer experience.Manufacturers are required to set higher standards for themselves in terms of product formula structure,raw material standard formulation,product packaging,declaration,etc.