CleanGredients
CleanGredients, a project of nonprofit GreenBlue, operates a subscription database listing over 800 chemical ingredients pre-approved under the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Standard for chemical suppliers and product formulators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersVausseroux, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CleanGredients does
CleanGredients is a subscription-based online database of chemical ingredients whose formulations have been pre-approved to meet the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Standard. Founded in 2006 and operated as a project of the environmental nonprofit GreenBlue, the platform mediates between two B2B customer groups: chemical ingredient suppliers (such as BASF, Dow, 3M, Stepan, and Musim Mas) who pay to list their trade-name ingredients, and product formulators (such as Clorox, Reckitt Benckiser, Church & Dwight, Ecolab, and Seventh Generation) who subscribe to search and source Safer Choice-compliant ingredients for household, institutional, industrial, and janitorial cleaning products. Over 130 formulator companies and more than 800 pre-approved trade-name ingredients are listed as of 2024.
The core technology is a curated web-based database where each ingredient must pass third-party profiler review (NSF International, ToxServices, or Gradient) and final EPA Safer Choice approval before listing. The platform exposes structured data not available in EPA's own Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), including supplier identity, trade name, formula-specific composition (including trade-secret chemicals), VOC content, maximum use levels, and direct-release approval status. Search is filter-driven (trade name, keyword, CAS number, functional class, supplier) with no documented AI or ML layer.
Revenue is generated entirely through tiered annual subscriptions scaled by subscriber company size. Supplier subscriptions range from $1,500 to $4,500 per year depending on annual revenue; formulator subscriptions range from $250 to $750 for commercial companies and $150 for nonprofits and government agencies. All subscriptions include unlimited internal users with role-based access. Third-party profiler review fees are billed separately by the profilers themselves, not by CleanGredients. Distribution leverages direct online sign-up, cross-referencing with HCPA's Consumer Product Ingredients Dictionary (since July 2019), and supplier listings on ChemSec Marketplace (since July 2018), alongside industry-association channels (HCPA, ISSA) and EPA Safer Choice partner programming.
CleanGredients firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CleanGredients
- Legal name
- CleanGredients
- Website
- https://cleangredients.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CleanGredients, a project of nonprofit GreenBlue, operates a subscription database listing over 800 chemical ingredients pre-approved under the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Standard for chemical suppliers and product formulators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CleanGredients is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vausseroux
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CleanGredients business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription Revenue: CleanGredients generates revenue through annual subscription fees paid by two customer types: (1) ingredient Supplier subscribers who pay to list an unlimited number of qualified ingredients and access the database, with fees scaled by company annual revenue ($1,500–$4,500/year); and (2) Formulator subscribers who pay to search the database, with fees ranging from $250–$750/year for commercial companies and $150 for nonprofits/government agencies. Third-party profiler fees (charged separately by NSF International, ToxServices, and Gradient) cover ingredient review costs and are paid directly to those firms, not to CleanGredients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Supplier subscription – annual revenue < $50M |
| Subscription | Annual | Supplier subscription – annual revenue $50M to $250M |
| Subscription | Annual | Supplier subscription – annual revenue $250M or more |
| Subscription | Annual | Formulator subscription – annual revenue < $5M |
| Subscription | Annual | Formulator subscription – annual revenue $5M to $50M |
| Subscription | Annual | Formulator subscription – annual revenue $50M or more |
| Subscription | Annual | Non-profit or government subscription – annual revenue < $10M |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CleanGredients product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CleanGredients is a web-based searchable database of chemical ingredients pre-approved by the U.S. EPA Safer Choice program. It allows ingredient suppliers to list trade-name chemical products that have passed third-party profiler review and EPA approval, and enables product formulators to search and source these pre-screened ingredients by trade name, CAS number, functional class, or supplier. The database streamlines Safer Choice certification by eliminating redundant ingredient reviews.
Product overview
CleanGredients is a single database product offering a searchable directory of chemical ingredients pre-approved to meet the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Standard. The core product is the CleanGredients Database, which offers two subscription tiers: Supplier Subscription (allowing unlimited ingredient listings) and Formulator Subscription (for searching and sourcing safer ingredients). Additional features include Maximum Use Levels information (indicating concentration limits due to residuals) and Direct Release Approval Status (for outdoor/direct-environment products with stricter aquatic toxicity criteria). The Ingredient Review Process is the service by which third-party profilers assess ingredients against Safer Choice criteria before they can be listed in the database.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CleanGredients Database
- Supplier Subscription
Companies that use CleanGredients
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CleanGredients technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
CleanGredients partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supportive.
- Household and Commercial Products Association (HCPA)majorHCPA and CleanGredients partnered in July 2019 to cross-reference CleanGredients-listed trade name ingredients in HCPA's Consumer Product Ingredients Dictionary. This enables formulators using the Dictionary to discover and link directly to CleanGredients profiles for more information on Safer Choice-approved ingredients. The Dictionary is a unified source for ingredient names required by California and New York and accepted by Walmart, Target, and EPA Safer Choice.
- ChemSec MarketplacemajorCleanGredients and ChemSec Marketplace entered a partnership in July 2018 allowing CleanGredients suppliers to market their Safer Choice-approved ingredients on ChemSec's international B2B marketplace platform. The partnership extends CleanGredients' reach into European and global markets. CleanGredients suppliers can advertise on Marketplace with no additional review required. Since the partnership, the Marketplace has experienced significant growth in safer alternatives and traffic.
- U.S. EPA's Safer Choice ProgramcoreCleanGredients has partnered with the EPA Safer Choice program since launching in 2006. The partnership involves pre-screening chemical ingredients against Safer Choice criteria; ingredients must receive Safer Choice approval before being listed in the CleanGredients database. EPA provides the regulatory framework and program criteria, while CleanGredients serves as the definitive marketplace database for pre-approved ingredients.
- NSF InternationalcoreNSF International is an authorized third-party profiler qualified to assess both ingredients and formulated products against the EPA Safer Choice program's criteria. NSF reviews ingredient formulations submitted by suppliers, evaluates them against human and environmental health endpoints, and forwards approved assessments to EPA Safer Choice for final approval. NSF International has been involved in CleanGredients reviews since the program's inception.
- ToxServicescoreToxServices is an authorized third-party reviewer for the EPA Safer Choice Program and GreenBlue's CleanGredients database. The firm provides toxicology, regulatory, third-party risk assessment, hazard assessment, and auditing consulting services. ToxServices supports ingredient suppliers through the review process to bring products to market faster while maintaining compliance with US, EU, and Health Canada regulatory requirements.
- GradientcoreGradient is an environmental sciences consulting firm qualified to provide profiling for the EPA Safer Choice Program and Clean Production Action's GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals. Gradient's toxicologists are also certified by EPA's Sustainable Futures Program. The firm evaluates risks posed by chemical substances to human health and the environment and helps companies design products and practices to minimize these risks.
- ISSA – The Worldwide Association for the Cleaning IndustrysupportiveISSA is a nonprofit trade association representing the commercial cleaning industry with over 9,000 members worldwide. ISSA has been a supporter of the CleanGredients program since its inception, including participating on the steering committee that shaped the program and promoting CleanGredients' benefits to ISSA members and the cleaning industry.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CleanGredients competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Knowde: B2B marketplace for chemicals and ingredients where suppliers list products and buyers search by application, function, and regulatory criteria. Directly comparable to CleanGredients as a digital ingredient marketplace serving chemical and formulated-product buyers.
- UL Prospector: Searchable ingredients and materials database serving personal care, food, and cleaning product formulators with supplier technical data. Comparable to CleanGredients as a subscription-based ingredient search platform for product developers.
- SpecialChem: B2B online platform connecting specialty ingredient suppliers with formulators across cosmetics, personal care, and cleaning products. Highly comparable to CleanGredients as a vertical ingredient-search and selection platform serving overlapping customer segments and use cases.
- ChemSec Marketplace: International B2B marketplace for safer chemical alternatives operated by the Swedish nonprofit ChemSec. Directly comparable as a safer-chemicals ingredient marketplace; CleanGredients suppliers cross-list here under a 2018 partnership.
Broad incumbents
- ChemPoint: B2B chemical distribution and marketing platform providing sales, logistics, and digital storefront services for chemical producers. Overlaps with CleanGredients' supplier-to-formulator bridge but operates at much broader scale across all chemistries, not just Safer Choice-approved ingredients.
- ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services): Global chemical market intelligence, pricing, and analytics provider serving chemical producers and downstream buyers. Adjacent to CleanGredients as a chemical-industry information service, but focused on pricing and supply-demand rather than ingredient-level safety pre-approval.
- CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service): Authoritative chemical information service providing substance databases and regulatory data to scientists and formulators. Comparable to CleanGredients as a subscription chemical-information authority, though CAS covers all chemistries globally rather than specializing in Safer Choice pre-approval.
- Univar Solutions: Large-scale chemical and ingredient distributor serving formulators across cleaning, personal care, and industrial end markets. Comparable as a chemical-products intermediary to formulators, though far broader and not focused on safer-chemicals certification.
Others
- EPA Safer Choice Program: U.S. EPA program that defines Safer Choice criteria and approves ingredients; CleanGredients' exclusive regulatory partner since 2006. Not a competitor but the foundational regulatory body whose criteria CleanGredients commercializes, making it the most ecosystem-critical adjacent entity.
Emerging players
- Toxnot: Chemical hazard and compliance data platform focused on safer-by-design chemical assessment. Comparable to CleanGredients as a B2B platform helping formulators screen ingredients against human and environmental safety criteria, with overlapping but distinct dataset focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CleanGredients social profiles
Digital presenceCleanGredients financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CleanGredients leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CleanGredients funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CleanGredients M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CleanGredients
What does CleanGredients do?
CleanGredients is a web-based searchable database of chemical ingredients pre-approved by the U.S. EPA Safer Choice program. It allows ingredient suppliers to list trade-name chemical products that have passed third-party profiler review and EPA approval, and enables product formulators to search and source these pre-screened ingredients by trade name, CAS number, functional class, or supplier. The database streamlines Safer Choice certification by eliminating redundant ingredient reviews.
Is CleanGredients a public or private company?
CleanGredients is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CleanGredients founded?
CleanGredients was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CleanGredients based?
CleanGredients is headquartered in Vausseroux, France, in the Europe region.
How does CleanGredients make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Revenue.
Who are CleanGredients's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Knowde, UL Prospector, SpecialChem and ChemSec Marketplace. Broad incumbents are ChemPoint, ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services), CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) and Univar Solutions. EPA Safer Choice Program is listed as an others. Toxnot is listed as an emerging player.
Does CleanGredients have an API?
No public API is recorded for CleanGredients.