Chapter 2: Other surfactants · Part 1: Non-ionic surfactants
Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE)
- Made from a hazardous chemical
- Contaminant risk
The worst fact: they break down into chemicals that mimic oestrogen. A study in South-East Queensland found these breakdown products in treated sewage effluent; Australia's regulator used it to calculate a combined risk score of up to 25.2; anything above 1 means possible harm to aquatic life. More than 1,000 tonnes of one NPE were introduced (made or imported) in Australia in 2006.
Why brands use it: it works as a surfactant, wetting agent and emulsifier.
Take care if: no specific group; the main harm is to waterways. Choose cleaners that list a different surfactant.
Comes from: nonylphenol, which is mainly made to produce these, reacted with ethylene oxide. Australia classes nonylphenol as "Suspected of damaging fertility. Suspected of damaging the unborn child." and ethylene oxide as "May cause genetic defects; May cause cancer". That doesn't mean they're in the product, but it's not a great starting point for something you clean with.
Myth check: "They break down quickly, so they're fine": the first breakdown step is fast, but it "results in more recalcitrant degradants, some of which are highly toxic to aquatic organisms".
Contaminants: leftover nonylphenol (see above), present as an impurity in technical-grade NPE. It's unlikely in a well-made product, but it's a factor you can't see on the label.
Fair to say: the ethoxylates themselves are less oestrogenic than nonylphenol. The EU banned them at 0.1% or more in household cleaning products from 17 January 2005 and, from 3 February 2021, at 0.01% or more in textiles that will be washed. US detergent makers worked with the EPA to remove them from household laundry detergent. Australia has proposed controls from 1 January 2028: they shouldn't be used where a feasible alternative exists, must not be used where disposal can't be controlled (its example: exterior car cleaning), and must not go down the sewer without an approved agreement. It's a proposal, not yet law.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS): classifications for alcohol ethoxylates, C10-12 alcohol EO/PO, cocamidopropyl betaine, nonylphenol, DODMAC, and for ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, dimethyl sulfate, methyl chloride, benzyl chloride, epichlorohydrin, DMAPA, monochloroacetic acid and 1,4-dioxane.
- NICNAS/AICIS. IMAP Tier II assessments: ethoxylated aliphatic alcohols (2019); alkoxylated aliphatic alcohols (2020); nonylphenols; nonylphenol ethoxylate sulfate and phosphate esters (environment, 2016); cationic surfactants; mono- and dialkyl quaternary ammonium compounds (environment, 2016); cocamidopropyl betaine; fatty acid amidopropyl dimethylamines. Public reports STD/1386 (esterquat, 2011) and STD/1363 (lauryl hydroxysultaine).
- Australian Government DCCEEW. IChEMS chemical profile and proposed scheduling decision: nonylphenols and nonylphenol ethoxylates (2026).
- European Union. Directive 2003/53/EC; Regulation (EU) 2016/26.
- US EPA. Nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates action plan (2010); Safer Choice Ingredient List.
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 2.