What does New York 1,4-Dioxane Limit (1 ppm) require and does it protect your family?
New York State Environmental Conservation Law (ECL Articles 35 and 37), signed December 2019 and implemented by DEC Subpart 352-1, establishes the strictest legally enforceable concentration limits for 1,4-dioxane in household cleaning and personal care products sold in New York: 2 ppm from December 31, 2022, stepping down to 1 ppm from December 31, 2023. It is the first US state law to set a binding ppm cap on this carcinogenic byproduct in consumer products, and because most major manufacturers reformulated nationally rather than maintain separate production lines, the law functionally raised the floor for products sold throughout North America.
Renee · Founder & Lead Researcher, R3
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When parents check a laundry detergent label for 1,4-dioxane, they run into a frustrating problem: the chemical is not listed because it is never intentionally added. It forms as a trace contaminant during the manufacturing process, specifically during a step called ethoxylation, where ethylene oxide is reacted with fatty alcohols to create the surfactants that make detergents effective. The result is that one of the most commonly used laundry detergents in American households could contain a probable human carcinogen at measurable concentrations, with no labeling requirement and no federal limit to force it out.
New York changed that calculus in 2019. The New York 1,4-Dioxane Limit is the set of binding concentration caps enacted through amendments to Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Articles 35 and 37, signed by Governor Cuomo on December 9, 2019, and fully codified through DEC Subpart 352-1 regulations finalized in September 2024. For household cleansing products and personal care products, the law requires that 1,4-dioxane not exceed 2 ppm as of December 31, 2022, and 1 ppm as of December 31, 2023. Cosmetics face a separate 10 ppm limit effective the same initial date.
This is not a disclosure law. It is a hard cap. Products above 1 ppm cannot legally be sold in New York State.
The statute applies to three categories of products:
Household cleansing products (ECL Article 35): This covers laundry detergents, dish soaps, surface cleaners, multipurpose cleaners, fabric softeners, and other products sold for household use that clean, degrease, or otherwise treat surfaces, fabrics, or dishes in the home. The 2 ppm limit was in effect by December 31, 2022. The 1 ppm limit applied from December 31, 2023 onward.
Personal care products (ECL Article 37): This covers shampoos, body washes, conditioners, and similar rinse-off or leave-on products applied to the human body. Same phased limits as household cleansing: 2 ppm by end of 2022, 1 ppm by end of 2023.
Cosmetic products: A separate 10 ppm limit applied from December 31, 2022, with no subsequent step-down to 1 ppm codified under the original law.
The DEC's Subpart 352-1 regulations, proposed in December 2023 and finalized September 2024, define the scope of covered products in more detail, establish the standardized test method for quantifying 1,4-dioxane in finished products, and specify the process by which manufacturers could apply for a waiver. No waiver extends past December 30, 2025, meaning full compliance with the 1 ppm standard is required for every covered product sold in New York by January 2026.
The 1 ppm (1,000 parts per billion) limit was selected because it represents the lowest concentration reliably achievable through industry best practices for ethoxylated surfactant manufacturing as of 2019. It is not a no-detectable-level requirement, but it is close enough to function as one under most manufacturing conditions.
For context: before this law, some popular laundry detergents contained 1,4-dioxane at concentrations in the range of 6 to 89 ppm, based on third-party testing conducted by organizations such as the Environmental Working Group and Bureau Veritas. A 2007 study commissioned by the Organic Consumers Association found detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane in 47 of 100 personal care products tested. The compound is classified as a Group 2B possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the EPA has classified it as a probable human carcinogen with sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animal studies.
At 1 ppm, exposure from normal product use falls substantially below levels associated with health risk in most toxicological models. It is not zero, but it represents a meaningful and technically achievable reduction from historical contamination levels.
Understanding the law requires understanding why 1,4-dioxane appears in products in the first place. It is not a functional ingredient. It is a manufacturing byproduct.
Many of the surfactants in modern laundry detergents are ethoxylated: they undergo a reaction with ethylene oxide that makes them more effective at removing oily soils, more soluble in water, and gentler on fabric. Common ethoxylated ingredients include sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), polyethylene glycol (PEG) compounds, polysorbate 80, and various ethoxylated alcohols. When ethylene oxide reacts during this process, a small fraction cyclizes to form 1,4-dioxane as a contaminant. Without deliberate removal steps, it carries through into the finished product.
Removal is possible. Vacuum stripping and other purification techniques can reduce 1,4-dioxane to very low levels. The law's 1 ppm limit exists precisely because these techniques are available, achievable, and cost-effective at industrial scale. The law is designed to compel manufacturers to use them, or to reformulate with ingredients that are not ethoxylated in a way that generates the byproduct.
New York is the largest US consumer products market east of California, and the largest single state for household cleaning product sales by volume in the northeastern United States. When a regulation of this type passes in New York, manufacturers face a straightforward business decision: maintain separate production and distribution lines for New York-compliant and non-compliant versions of the same product, or reformulate the national product to meet the New York standard.
For major consumer goods companies with national distribution, the latter is almost always the more economical choice.
The Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a key advocacy organization behind the original legislation, documented this effect directly. In a February 2024 analysis, they confirmed that Procter and Gamble reformulated its national product lines to comply with the New York law, meaning that consumers throughout North America purchasing Tide, Dreft, Gain, Pantene, and Dawn are now exposed to significantly lower levels of 1,4-dioxane than before the law passed. The reformulation was not limited to New York-sold units.
This is the regulatory mechanism that makes New York's 1 ppm limit matter nationally: it effectively becomes the floor for any major brand selling across the country, regardless of whether the consumer's home state has any regulation at all.
The law recognized that reformulation takes time. For the initial December 31, 2022 threshold of 2 ppm, the DEC issued temporary waivers to manufacturers who could demonstrate active steps toward compliance but needed additional time. According to DEC records, approximately 1,520 non-compliant products received waivers through the 2022 to 2023 transition period.
The waiver process required manufacturers to submit proof of reformulation efforts and compliance timelines. No waivers extended past December 30, 2025, meaning the full 1 ppm compliance requirement is absolute after that date. The DEC's finalized Subpart 352-1 regulations codify both the limits and the process.
The waiver system represents a practical compromise: rather than immediately removing all non-compliant products from the market, it created a managed transition that incentivized reformulation while providing a hard deadline.
New York is not the only jurisdiction to address 1,4-dioxane in consumer products, but it is the most direct and enforceable.
California SB 258 (Cleaning Product Right to Know Act, 2017) requires manufacturers to disclose 1,4-dioxane if it is present at or above 10 ppm in cleaning products. California also enacted separate laws (effective January 1, 2022) that ban 1,4-dioxane from household cleaning and personal care products at above trace concentrations. The California laws address the same issue but have different threshold mechanisms and separate enforcement frameworks. New York's 1 ppm ceiling is more specific and more stringent than California's disclosure threshold.
Federal level (EPA TSCA): In June 2024, EPA finalized a risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act finding that 1,4-dioxane presents unreasonable risk to workers and the general population. This triggers a rulemaking process for risk management, which could eventually result in federal restrictions on industrial uses of 1,4-dioxane. However, as of mid-2026, no federal consumer product concentration limit comparable to New York's 1 ppm cap exists.
EPA Safer Choice: The EPA Safer Choice program evaluates ingredients in cleaning products against health and environmental criteria. While Safer Choice does not publish a specific ppm limit for 1,4-dioxane as a standalone requirement, certified products must use only ingredients reviewed as safe in their functional class, and ethoxylated ingredients with high 1,4-dioxane potential are excluded from the approved ingredient list. Safer Choice certification is therefore a functional proxy for meeting or exceeding the NY 1 ppm standard.
Drinking water MCL: New York was also the first state to set a legally enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) for 1,4-dioxane in drinking water (0.35 ppb), established through a separate DEC regulation. This is distinct from the consumer product concentration limits but reflects the same underlying science about the chemical's risks at low levels.
For families choosing a laundry detergent, the New York 1 ppm limit does two things:
First, it establishes a clear national benchmark for whether a product has been reformulated to reduce this particular risk. Any major brand sold nationally through mainstream retail channels should be at or below 1 ppm of 1,4-dioxane, because the economics of dual production lines make universal compliance the rational business decision. The question for parents is not whether Tide or Gain contains 1,4-dioxane at alarming historical levels, but whether smaller or specialty brands have gone through the same process.
Second, it gives a specific threshold to look for when evaluating third-party certifications. An EWG Verified or EPA Safer Choice certification means the product has been evaluated against criteria that effectively align with or exceed the NY limit. Brands that reformulated specifically for NY compliance and market that fact are providing direct evidence of meeting the standard.
The brands on R3's vetted list for laundry detergent take different approaches to this issue. Branch Basics Concentrate uses a non-ethoxylated surfactant system, avoiding the manufacturing pathway that generates 1,4-dioxane as a byproduct. Blueland Laundry Detergent Tablet Unscented is formulated without ethoxylated surfactants. ECOS Plant-Powered Laundry Detergent Free and Clear carries EPA Safer Choice certification and ECOS has published testing confirming compliance with the NY limit. Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent Free and Clear is similarly formulated with non-ethoxylated surfactants and certifications that align with the 1 ppm standard.
The broader principle: the NY 1 ppm limit is now the minimum bar, not the gold standard. Products formulated without ethoxylated surfactants in the first place are structurally cleaner than products that meet 1 ppm through purification of ethoxylated ingredients.
Some brands market products as "1,4-dioxane-free" or "no detectable 1,4-dioxane." In the context of this law, these claims mean the product is at or below analytical detection limits, which are typically in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 ppm depending on the method used. This is meaningfully below the 1 ppm legal limit.
However, the claim is only as good as the testing behind it. The NY law's DEC Subpart 352-1 establishes a specific standardized test method for 1,4-dioxane quantification in products sold in New York. A brand making a "1,4-dioxane-free" claim without specifying the test method or detection limit is providing a weaker signal than one that cites compliance with the NY standard or a third-party certification based on validated analytical methods.
For parents: prefer certifications (EPA Safer Choice, EWG Verified, or explicit NY-compliance testing) over unverified marketing claims. The 1,4-dioxane-free claim entry in the R3 dictionary explains the distinctions in more detail.
For laundry detergent specifically, the New York 1 ppm limit is now the practical baseline for any nationally distributed brand. The key distinction for R3's top picks is not just meeting the 1 ppm floor, but going further: Branch Basics Concentrate and Blueland Laundry Detergent Tablet Unscented avoid ethoxylated surfactants entirely, eliminating the production pathway that creates 1,4-dioxane in the first place. ECOS Plant-Powered Laundry Detergent Free and Clear carries EPA Safer Choice certification. Puracy Natural Laundry Detergent Free and Clear is formulated with non-ethoxylated plant-derived surfactants. Meeting 1 ppm through purification is the minimum; formulating without the contamination pathway is the higher standard.
New York Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) Articles 35 and 37: - Signed: December 9, 2019 (Governor Cuomo) - Effective January 1, 2022 (law operative) - 2 ppm limit for household cleansing and personal care products: effective December 31, 2022 - 1 ppm limit for household cleansing and personal care products: effective December 31, 2023 - 10 ppm limit for cosmetics: effective December 31, 2022 (no subsequent step-down codified under original law) - No waiver valid past December 30, 2025 - Enforced by NYSDEC under ECL Section 71-3703; civil penalties apply for violations
DEC Subpart 352-1 (6 NYCRR Part 352-1): - Proposed: December 6, 2023 - Finalized: September 2024 - Establishes standardized test method for 1,4-dioxane quantification - Defines scope of covered products - Codifies the waiver application and review process - The regulation note: the original law incorrectly references "Part 659" in some early documentation; the operative DEC regulation is Subpart 352-1
California: - SB 258 (2017): Requires disclosure of 1,4-dioxane at or above 10 ppm in cleaning products (effective January 2020 for websites, January 2021 for labels) - AB 2247 and companion law (effective January 1, 2022): Bans 1,4-dioxane in household cleaning and personal care products above trace concentrations - California DTSC monitoring program active
Federal EPA (TSCA): - June 2024: EPA finalized risk evaluation finding 1,4-dioxane presents unreasonable risk to workers and general population - Risk management rulemaking initiated; no federal consumer product concentration limit as of mid-2026 - EPA Safer Choice program excludes ethoxylated ingredients with high 1,4-dioxane generation potential from certified product formulas
New York drinking water MCL (separate from consumer product law): - 0.35 ppb (parts per billion) MCL for 1,4-dioxane in drinking water - First state in the nation to set an enforceable MCL for 1,4-dioxane in drinking water
Look for these
How to verify
For products sold nationally through major retailers, the NY 1 ppm limit is the baseline assumption for any brand that reformulated for New York compliance. To verify a specific product: (1) Check for EPA Safer Choice certification at epa.gov/saferchoice/products or look for the blue-and-white Safer Choice seal; (2) Check EWG's Guide to Healthy Cleaning at ewg.org/guides/cleaners for EWG Verified products, which must meet a 0.1 ppm threshold more stringent than NY's 1 ppm; (3) For brands not carrying these certifications, contact the manufacturer directly and ask for third-party test data showing 1,4-dioxane at or below 1 ppm using an ISO or ASTM validated method; (4) Review the ingredient list for ethoxylated surfactants (ingredients ending in '-eth-', PEG compounds, polysorbate ingredients) -- their presence does not mean the product is above 1 ppm, but their absence structurally eliminates the contamination pathway.
Timeline
June 2019
Legislature Passes S4389B / A6295A
The New York State Legislature passes Senate Bill S4389B and Assembly Bill A6295A, authored by Senator Todd Kaminsky and carrying broad bipartisan support. The bills amend ECL Articles 35 and 37 to establish phased 1,4-dioxane concentration limits in household cleansing, personal care, and cosmetic products.
December 9, 2019
Governor Cuomo Signs the Law
Governor Andrew Cuomo signs S4389B / A6295A into law, making New York the first US state to set a legally binding concentration cap on 1,4-dioxane in consumer cleaning and personal care products. The law takes effect January 1, 2022, with phased compliance deadlines.
January 1, 2022
Law Becomes Operative
ECL amendments take effect. Manufacturers who need additional time can apply for waivers with DEC while actively reformulating. NYSDEC begins reviewing waiver applications; approximately 1,520 products receive waivers through the first compliance period.
December 31, 2022
2 ppm Limit Takes Effect
The first hard cap applies: household cleansing products, personal care products, and cosmetics sold in New York must not exceed 2 ppm (household/personal care) or 10 ppm (cosmetics) of 1,4-dioxane. Products with waivers have additional time but must be actively reformulating.
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New York amended its Environmental Conservation Law (ECL Articles 35 and 37) in December 2019 to set legally enforceable concentration limits on 1,4-dioxane in household cleaning products, personal care products, and cosmetics. For household cleansing and personal care products, the limit stepped from 2 ppm (effective December 31, 2022) to 1 ppm (effective December 31, 2023). It is the first US state law to set a binding ppm cap on this probable carcinogen in consumer products. DEC Subpart 352-1, finalized September 2024, provides the implementation framework including standardized test methods and the waiver process.
No. Because most major consumer goods manufacturers sell through national distribution networks, the economics of maintaining separate New York-compliant and non-compliant product lines are prohibitive. The vast majority of large brands reformulated their national products to comply, meaning that consumers across the US and Canada are now receiving products with significantly reduced 1,4-dioxane levels. Citizens Campaign for the Environment confirmed this effect in a February 2024 report specifically citing Procter and Gamble's national reformulations of Tide, Gain, Dreft, Pantene, and Dawn.
1,4-dioxane is not intentionally added to detergents. It forms as a byproduct during ethoxylation, the manufacturing process used to create certain surfactants (cleaning agents) from plant-derived fatty alcohols. When ethylene oxide reacts in this process, a small fraction cyclizes to form 1,4-dioxane as a contaminant. Without deliberate purification steps, it carries through into finished products. Vacuum stripping and other techniques can remove it. The 1 ppm limit is set at a level that is technically achievable through these methods.
There are three practical approaches. First, look for EPA Safer Choice certification or EWG Verified status: both require compliance with criteria that address 1,4-dioxane. EWG Verified specifically tests for levels below 0.1 ppm. Second, check whether the brand has publicly confirmed New York compliance through their website or testing disclosures. Third, review the ingredient list for ethoxylated surfactants (ingredients ending in '-eth-', PEG compounds, polysorbate ingredients) -- products formulated without these have no 1,4-dioxane generation pathway. A product like Branch Basics Concentrate or Blueland Laundry Detergent Tablet Unscented avoids ethoxylated surfactants entirely.
Procter and Gamble, which makes Tide, Gain, Dreft, Pantene, and Dawn, reformulated its product lines to comply with the New York 1 ppm limit before it took full effect. These reformulations were applied nationally, not just to New York-sold units, meaning the products now on store shelves throughout North America contain significantly less 1,4-dioxane than pre-2022 versions. However, these products still contain ethoxylated surfactants and have gone through the ethoxylation manufacturing pathway -- they have been purified to below 1 ppm, not reformulated to eliminate the pathway.
The 1 ppm limit is the lowest concentration regulators determined was technically achievable at industrial scale, not a level established as scientifically risk-free. 1,4-dioxane is classified as a probable human carcinogen (EPA) and Group 2B possible carcinogen (IARC). At 1 ppm in a finished product, exposure from normal laundry use is low -- the chemical is present in trace amounts in the wash water, not at high concentrations in something you ingest. However, the safest approach is to choose products formulated without ethoxylated surfactants, which eliminates the contamination pathway entirely rather than relying on purification to a legal minimum.
California has related but different rules. California SB 258 (effective 2020-2021) requires disclosure of 1,4-dioxane at or above 10 ppm in cleaning products -- a disclosure obligation, not a concentration limit. California also enacted laws effective January 1, 2022, banning 1,4-dioxane in household cleaning and personal care products above trace concentrations. New York's 1 ppm legal limit is the most specific and most enforced consumer product standard in the US as of mid-2026.
The EPA Safer Choice program requires that every ingredient in a certified product be reviewed against health and environmental criteria. The program excludes ethoxylated surfactants with high 1,4-dioxane generation potential from the approved ingredient list, meaning Safer Choice-certified products are either non-ethoxylated (structurally avoiding the issue) or use ethoxylated ingredients verified to meet safety thresholds. Safer Choice certification is therefore a reliable proxy for compliance with the NY 1 ppm standard, though it operates through ingredient review rather than finished-product 1,4-dioxane testing.
December 31, 2023
1 ppm Limit Takes Effect for Household and Personal Care Products
The final 1 ppm threshold for household cleansing and personal care products becomes enforceable. Major manufacturers including Procter and Gamble have reformulated national product lines (Tide, Gain, Dreft, Pantene, Dawn) to comply. Citizens Campaign for the Environment confirms that reformulations applied nationally, not just to New York-sold units.
December 6, 2023
DEC Proposes Subpart 352-1 Regulations
NYSDEC proposes 6 NYCRR Subpart 352-1 to codify the implementation framework for the 2019 law: standardized test method for 1,4-dioxane quantification, product scope definitions, and the waiver process. Public comment period opens.
September 2024
DEC Finalizes Subpart 352-1
NYSDEC finalizes the regulations implementing the 2019 law, completing the full regulatory framework for 1,4-dioxane limits in household cleansing, personal care, and cosmetic products. The final rule confirms that no waiver extends beyond December 30, 2025.
December 30, 2025
Final Waiver Expiration
All waivers expire. No product sold in New York State may exceed 1 ppm of 1,4-dioxane in household cleansing or personal care formulations regardless of waiver status. Full compliance required across the board.
June 2024
EPA Finalizes TSCA Risk Evaluation for 1,4-Dioxane
EPA finalizes its risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act, finding that 1,4-dioxane presents unreasonable risk to workers and the general population. This triggers a federal rulemaking process for risk management, setting the stage for potential national restrictions on industrial uses. No federal consumer product concentration limit is in place as of mid-2026.