Clean Label Project (CLP) partners with an independent third-party laboratory, Ellipse Analytics (EA). EA is ISO 17025* accredited by ANAB. EA’s accreditation encompasses the testing methods and designated product categories outlined in the CLP certification standards.
*ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is a third-party verification and attestation that the accredited body (in this case, EA for its laboratory) has demonstrated its competence, capability, and impartiality when facilitating its testing under validated and controlled processes, procedures, and methods.
Clean Label Project certified products are tested by Ellipse Analytics using advanced equipment (Agilent and Sciex instruments) and rigorously validated methods.
The Clean Label Project also provides comparison data and regulatory guidelines to help consumers understand the results and see how the product compares to others on the market.
Many labs focus on testing one or two types of products—such as water, soil, produce, or dietary supplements. By analyzing the same materials daily, they build deep expertise in those specific products. However, applying the same methods to a different product type can compromise accuracy if those methods have not been properly validated for that material.
Ellipse Analytics (EA)—the lab used by Clean Label Project—has validated its scope of accreditation for each product category certified under Clean Label Project standards. This ensures that testing methods are appropriate for the specific matrix being analyzed and that results are accurate, relevant, and trustworthy for consumers.
When a lab tests a product, results are often reported using two key terms:
LoD (Limit of Detection) and LoQ (Limit of Quantification).
This distinction is important because some reports post results based solely on the Limit of Detection (LoD) rather than the more accurate Limit of Quantification (LoQ).
Ellipse analytics LoQ’s are typically in the low teens to single digit parts per billion (ppb).
Clean Label Project mirrors the real consumer experience. Our certification team buys products directly from grocery stores and online retailers—just like shoppers do—to ensure we are not testing cherry-picked or specially prepared samples from a manufacturer or brand.
All test results are independently analyzed by two chemists. If results do not meet the thresholds set in our standards, they undergo further review. This includes examining prior test results, checking for other issues within the same batch that could have affected the outcome, and considering any other relevant factors. Results may also be retested to confirm accuracy.
For nearly a decade, EA’s work has been validated by other accredited third-party laboratories, universities, government agencies, and media organizations. In several instances, our findings have also undergone peer review.
Government agencies have demonstrated such confidence in our findings and supporting data that they used them as a catalyst and foundation for two major recalls—one involving infant formula and another resulting in the largest pet food recall in history.
Clean Label Project (CLP) offers several certifications focused on specific contaminants, each based on some of the most rigorous industrial and environmental standards available. Our certification criteria draw from California Proposition 65, European Union regulations, U.S. federal and state requirements, and our proprietary, category-specific data.
Clean Label Project certification takes into account both serving size and daily exposure to industrial and environmental contaminants. Serving size is important because it helps determine how much of a contaminant a person is likely to consume from a product.
Using sugar as an example, a family-size bag of cookies might contain 630 grams of sugar in total — well above the recommended daily limit. However, the stated serving size might be three cookies, which contain about 14 grams of sugar — an amount that falls below the recommended daily limit.
While the objective is to reduce contaminants as much as possible, excluding serving size from the overall analysis can misrepresent actual exposure and potentially cause disproportionate concern.
The difference between parts per million (ppm) and parts per billion (ppb) is exponential: 1 ppm = 1,000 ppb. These units show how much of a substance is present relative to the total amount—ppm measures larger amounts, while ppb measures much smaller, more diluted quantities.
Think of it as the difference between a drop of food coloring in a backyard swimming pool versus a large lake. The drop is the same, but in the lake it is much more diluted. The drop in the swimming pool represents parts per million (ppm), while the drop in the lake represents parts per billion (ppb). When it comes to the impact on human health, that difference is monumental!
All contaminants that are evaluated by Ellipse Analytics for Clean Label Project are measured in parts per billion.
While contaminants like pesticides, phthalates, and bisphenols can potentially be eliminated entirely, heavy metals naturally occur in the Earth’s crust, making trace amounts unavoidable. The goal is to minimize all contaminants as much as possible, striving to bring them as close to zero as feasible.
