· 2 min read
CLP Compliance for Online Shops: What You Need to Know
Selling cleaning products, paints or other chemicals online? Here's what the CLP Regulation requires on your product pages — and which products are affected.
The CLP Regulation — short for Classification, Labelling and Packaging — governs how hazardous substances and mixtures are labelled in the EU. Most merchants think of it as a packaging topic for manufacturers. But it also contains a rule that applies directly to online shops.
The distance-selling rule
Under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, if consumers can buy a hazardous substance or mixture without first seeing its label, your offer has to include the hazard information. In an online shop, customers never see the physical label before buying — so the rule effectively applies to every product page for a classified chemical product.
The revised CLP Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/2865, makes the requirements for online offers more explicit. In practice, your product page should show the same key elements as the label:
- Hazard pictograms — the red-bordered diamonds (GHS01 to GHS09)
- Signal word — "Danger" or "Warning"
- Hazard statements (H-statements), e.g. H319 Causes serious eye irritation
- Precautionary statements (P-statements) where relevant
A downloadable safety data sheet is useful, but it does not replace the information on the offer itself.
Which products are affected?
More than many shop owners expect. Typical examples:
- Cleaning, descaling and drain-cleaning agents
- Paints, varnishes, wood stains and solvents
- Adhesives and sealants
- Lamp oils, grill lighters and fuels
- Pool and aquarium chemicals
- Fertilisers and plant protection products
- Nicotine-containing e-liquids
Not covered: finished cosmetic products, which follow the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 instead.
What happens if you don't comply?
Member states set the penalties, from administrative fines to product withdrawals. In Germany, missing hazard information is also a violation of market conduct rules, which means competitors and associations can send an Abmahnung — a cease-and-desist letter that typically comes with legal fees.
How to get it right
- Identify classified products. Check the label or section 2 of the safety data sheet for each chemical product you sell.
- Collect the label elements. Pictograms, signal word, H- and P-statements — exactly as on the supplier's label.
- Use the official wording in each language. H- and P-statements have fixed official translations in all EU languages.
- Place the information prominently on the product page, before the customer adds the item to the cart.
Doing this by hand means maintaining images and translated statement texts per product and per language. The CLP Hazard Labels plugin does it for you: assign a hazard profile, and the pictograms, signal word and official statements appear on the product page in the customer's language — for Shopify and WooCommerce.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.