Shoppers want to know what’s in their shampoos and detergents. Source: Shutterstock

P&G lists 3.5k products on digital platform to boost transparency

MODERN consumers like to be well-informed about the products they buy and use. Standing in the shopping aisle at the supermarket might not be the ideal place to Google what’s in a shampoo or detergent, but it’s something everyone wants to do.

P&G makes it possible, and simple, with SmartLabel. The company now has more than 3,500 products on the platform, an online and mobile interface that enables consumers to access detailed information such as product ingredients, usage instructions, certifications, and endorsements.

“P&G now has more items, across more categories, than any other consumer product goods company on the platform,” said the company’s press release.

Consumers can find top P&G brands – such as Febreze, Herbal Essences, Olay, Pampers, and Tide, to name a few – through the SmartLabel website and on the SmartLabel Android and iOS apps.

P&G hopes to help people make informed choices by providing ingredient information in a way that is clear, reliable and accessible. As a result, the company has also become one of the first to offer details on the components in their feminine care products, Always and Tampax via the platform.

“We know people care about what goes into the products they use every day, and we want consumers to be informed and confident in their choice to place P&G products in their baskets,” said Kathy Fish, Chief Technology Officer, Procter & Gamble.

SmartLabel, an initiative of the Trading Partner Alliance. The parent group exists to develop a shared retailer-manufacturer agenda on supply chain efficiency issues, the application of information technology, the adoption of environmentally-friendly business practices, and other issues of importance to consumers.

If you’re looking for the contents of a product on the web, all you need to do is go to the Product Search section of SmartLabel’s website and key in the company, brand, or product name. Hit Submit and you’ll get a list of all the products (and their variants) that the company has listed on the platform.

Now here’s the exciting part. When you choose a product, the platform shows you 5 key tabs as P&G cited earlier, namely, ingredients, product information, advisories and handling, other information, and company/brand info.

In the ingredients tab, each ingredient is hyperlinked and clicking on any one will give you a description of the role of that particular item in the product.

Of course, each of these descriptions is provided by the company but you still get a pretty good idea of the chemicals that make up your products.

Cyclodextrin in your Fabreze air freshener, for example, is an odor eliminator made from cornstarch and traps odors and keeps them from escaping fabrics (instead of masking).

In the claims tab, you’ll find important information about claims and sustainability. Need to check if you can use it with pets at home? This tab might help.

At present, SmartLabel has around 44 companies, 46 brands, and a couple thousand products listed on the platform. However, given the traction it has received since its launch in December 2015, there seems to be great hope for the platform in coming months.