Diaper Packages in N.Y. State Must Now Disclose All Ingredients
The first-of-its-kind law means more transparency into the products babies use daily—here's why this change could be good news for families nationwide
If you’ve ever wondered about the materials used to make your child’s diapers, you’re far from alone—and thanks to a new regulation, parents in New York state won’t have to wonder any longer. As of Dec. 11, 2025, a New York state law requires that all disposable diapers sold in the state must include an ingredients label on their packaging, or risk a fine of up to $1,000 per package. Although the law, which was passed in 2024, is specific to New York state, families in other states may see ingredients labeled on their diaper packages, too, because it’s an additional burden for companies to produce different packaging for different states.
The first-of-its-kind law, known as S.2279-C, offers more transparency into the materials that make up disposable diapers for babies and adults. “For too long, the ingredients contained in the most intimate products we use have been kept secret, only disclosed when independent companies test them,” says New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, who sponsored the bill.
What to Know About the Diaper Ingredient Transparency Law
Before the legislation was passed in 2024, the disclosure of diaper ingredients was not required in any state in the U.S., meaning companies did not have to inform parents and caregivers about the substances babies were exposed to daily through their diapers.
As of December 2025, manufacturers selling diapers in the state must list all ingredients in the product on the package, including fragrances, dyes, adhesives, and bleaching agents, which are commonly used in the production of disposable diapers.
The law doesn’t currently specify how manufacturers must list their ingredients on diaper packaging, but it states that an “intentionally added substance” must be listed in order of predominance. This could mean that diaper makers can simply list “fragrance” as a catch-all term for the more than 100 different compounds that fall under that umbrella, which may not be helpful for a parent trying to avoid specific chemicals.
Rosenthal says she’ll make changes to the law as needed. “I will be monitoring the implementation of this law and if more specificity is needed to protect consumers, you can bet that I will be working to update our laws to provide that,” she says.
While some diaper manufacturers have already taken steps to voluntarily share their ingredients online or on packaging before the legislation was enacted, now all diaper makers will be required to do so if they want to continue selling diapers to families in New York. If a company fails to comply with the law, it may face a penalty of 1 percent of its annual in-state sales, not to exceed $1,000 per diaper package, as stated in the law text.
If you’re buying diapers in New York state and find that there is no ingredients list on the package, you can file a report with the Office of the N.Y. Attorney General, Rosenthal says. She doesn’t anticipate many diaper companies not complying with the law. “In 2019, I passed the first-in-the-nation law requiring ingredient disclosure on packages of menstrual products, and we have not seen major compliance issues,” she says.
And if your baby has an issue with the diapers they’re using, you can always report product safety concerns on the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s SaferProducts.gov.
What the Diaper Labeling Law Means for Families
More Transparency Around Diaper Ingredients
Diapers are designed to absorb liquid and trap in solids, while wicking away wetness and masking odors. The specific ingredients used to achieve these goals vary by manufacturer, but disposable diapers are typically comprised of three main parts: an absorbent core, a waterproof outer layer, and a soft topsheet. On the new labels, you may see the intentionally added ingredients for each of these components, like the type of cellulose or pulp used to make up the core, the super-absorbent polymer used to retain liquids, and the materials used for the topsheet and outer cover.
But there are other components commonly used in diapers, too, such as binders, adhesives, and sometimes fragrances and dyes—many of which have complex chemical names that can be difficult to decipher. Even still, diapers can include unintentionally added ingredients, such as process contaminants or byproducts, which manufacturers are not required to disclose.
The level of transparency around diaper components may differ by manufacturer, but it’s a good first step. Simply including this information on the packaging itself, in a clear and visible location, is a notable improvement. Before the law took effect, if you were curious about the ingredients in your baby’s diaper—or wanted to pinpoint a potential irritant or allergen—you may have had to dig around on a company’s website for the components or reach out to its customer service.
“It’s possible that the increased visibility into diaper ingredients may prompt some manufacturers to audit their ingredients and work harder to reduce the risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals,” says Shanika Whitehurst, associate director of product sustainability, research, and testing at CR, whose work includes examining sustainability claims from diaper makers. “CR works to create a fair marketplace for consumers, and part of this work involves demystifying what ingredients are found in products advertised for use with the most vulnerable members in our society, our children.”
Ingredients Labels on Diapers in States Beyond New York
Rosenthal says she anticipates that the legislation will influence diaper-labeling practices beyond New York state. The period products law she passed in 2019 saw manufacturers nationwide starting to include ingredients labels on period products soon after the law took effect. It’s possible that this will also happen with diapers because diaper manufacturers may not want to absorb (pun intended) the additional costs and logistical challenges of creating and distributing different packages for specific states.
“As was seen during the implementation of my menstrual product law from 2019, companies may see the advantage of designing packaging not just for New York State and may instead choose to provide this information to consumers in other states,” Rosenthal says.
A Bigger Push for Transparency Around Essential Baby Products
The new diaper law also comes after a recent California state law that requires baby food companies to label their packaging with a QR code linking to batch-specific test results for toxic contaminants that may be present in the baby food, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Similar laws around transparency in baby food have also now been passed in Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois, and a related bill has been introduced in Pennsylvania. (CR found that even outside of those states, it’s possible to find baby food on store shelves with the updated QR code packaging.)
The combined effect of these efforts? Increased transparency around the essential products that babies and families rely on daily, with the goal of reducing exposure to potentially harmful contaminants among our most vulnerable populations.
Advocates say that the state-focused transparency laws create mounting pressure for similar laws at the federal level. “Ideally, we would like to see federal action aligned with these new New York state requirements, but in the interim, we hope that other states use this law as a template to promote transparency for consumers nationwide," Grose says.
