Overview

California Proposition 65 requires Amazon sellers to provide specific chemical exposure warnings on products sold to California consumers. Every seller — regardless of business size — is responsible for determining whether their products require Prop 65 warnings and for adding the correct warning information directly within Seller Central. Failing to comply can result in lawsuits, listing removals, and significant financial penalties.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• All sellers are responsible — Even if you have fewer than 10 employees or another seller offers the same product, you must independently evaluate and apply Prop 65 warnings to your own listings.
• Warnings go on child SKUs only — Prop 65 warnings must be applied at the child SKU level. Attempting to add them to a parent SKU will trigger an error and the submission will fail.
• No emailing warnings to Amazon — You must use the designated Seller Central tools to submit warnings, not email or any other communication method.
• Manufacturer-supplied warnings matter — If you are not the product manufacturer, you should obtain and reference any Prop 65 warning information provided by your supplier or the party that transferred the product to you.
• Do not send physical warning materials — Unless Amazon specifically instructs you in writing, do not send labels, shelf signs, tags, or other physical warning materials to Amazon.

What Is Proposition 65?

California Proposition 65, officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, is a state law requiring businesses to warn California consumers about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The law is administered by California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which maintains a list of more than 850 chemicals covered by the regulation. In August 2016, OEHHA adopted updated regulations — effective August 30, 2018 — that changed the specific information required in Prop 65 warnings, including more detailed chemical identification and updated safe harbor warning language.

How to Add Prop 65 Warnings to Your Listings