Is “Clean” still allowed under EU law?
Only with evidence. This term is restricted rather than banned outright — it is lawful when the specific claim behind it is substantiated and stated on the same page.
How common is it?
We found this term in a flagged claim on 55 of the 680 websites we have scanned — 8.1%.
- sites affected
- 55
- times flagged
- 95
- flagged at highest severity
- 23
Why it is a problem
Ambiguous term that can imply environmental or health benefits without specifying either. Particularly problematic in beauty and food sectors.
What to write instead
State what "clean" means for your product, e.g. "Formulated without parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances (full ingredient list available)."
The legal basis
Directive (EU) 2024/825 — the Empowering Consumers Directive — adds environmental claims to the Annex I blacklist of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. It applies across the EU from 27 September 2026, with no transition period. Penalties reach 4% of annual turnover in the member state concerned.
Check whether your own site uses this term
Paste your URL and see every environmental claim on your pages checked against all 82 restricted terms. The first check is free and needs no account.
Figures come from EcoClaim's own scan corpus, last updated 2026-08-22. It is a self-selected sample — sites run through our public checker, not a random sample of EU commerce.