ASEAN Cosmetic Directive — Annexes
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) — Annexes II & III, Release Version 2023-1 (5 June 2023), ASEAN Secretariat
38 compiled entries · 21 banned · 17 restricted
| Ingredient | Status | Limit | Rule | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| diethylene glycol | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No A1140 — prohibited except unavoidable trace up to 0.1% in finished product. Verified verbatim against source PDF: "Diethylene glycol (except if it is present as unavoidable trace limit of 0.1% in finished product)", CAS 111-46-6. | Source |
| silver nitrate | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No A1143 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Silver Nitrate", CAS 7761-88-8. | Source |
| mercury (and compounds) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 221 — prohibited except special cases listed in Annex VI (preservatives). Verified verbatim: "Mercury and its compounds except those special cases included in Annex VI". | Source |
| lead (and compounds) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 289 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Lead and its compounds", CAS 7439-92-1. | Source |
| arsenic (and compounds) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 43 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Arsenic and its compounds", CAS 7440-38-2. | Source |
| cadmium (and compounds) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 68 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Cadmium and its compounds", CAS 7440-43-9. | Source |
| chromium; chromic acid | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 97 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Chromium; chromic acid and its salts", CAS 7440-47-3. | Source |
| benzene | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 47 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Benzene", CAS 71-43-2. | Source |
| 1,4-dioxane | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 343 ("Dioxane") — prohibited substance. Verified: CAS 123-91-1 = 1,4-dioxane. | Source |
| vinyl chloride monomer | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 334 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Vinyl chloride monomer", CAS 75-01-4. | Source |
| musk ambrette (4-tert-butyl-3-methoxy-2,6-dinitrotoluene) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 414 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "4-tert-Butyl-3-methoxy-2,6-dinitrotoluene (Musk ambrette)", CAS 83-66-9. | Source |
| tretinoin (retinoic acid) and its salts | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 375 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)", CAS 302-79-4. | Source |
| thalidomide (INN) and its salts | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 280 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Thalidomide (INN) and its salts", CAS 50-35-1. | Source |
| minoxidil and its salts | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 372 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "6-(Piperidinyl)-2,4-pyrimidinediamine-3-oxide (minoxidil) and its salts", CAS 38304-91-5/16317-69-4. | Source |
| aristolochic acid (and salts; Aristolochia spp.) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 365 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Aristolochic acid and its salts; Aristolochia spp. and their preparations", CAS 475-80-9. | Source |
| safrole | Banned | ≤ 0.01% | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 360 — prohibited except normal content in natural essences, capped at 100 ppm finished cosmetic (50 ppm oral hygiene; not in children's toothpaste). Verified verbatim against source text, CAS 94-59-7. | Source |
| furocoumarines (e.g. trioxysalen, 8-methoxypsoralen, 5-methoxypsoralen) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 358 — prohibited except normal content in natural essences; must be below 1mg/kg in sun-protection/bronzing products. Verified verbatim, CAS 66-97-7. | Source |
| hexachlorophene | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 371 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "2,2'-Dihydroxy-3,3',5,5',6,6'-hexachlorodiphenylmethane (hexachlorophene)", CAS 70-30-4. | Source |
| chloroform | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 366 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Chloroform", CAS 67-66-3. | Source |
| hydrogen cyanide (and salts) | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 111 — prohibited substance. Verified verbatim: "Hydrogen cyanide and its salts", CAS 74-90-8. | Source |
| nitrosamines | Banned | — | ACD Annex II Part 1, Ref. No 410 — prohibited substance class. Verified verbatim: "Nitrosamines", multiple CAS numbers matching source. | Source |
| boric acid, borates and tetraborates | Restricted | ≤ 5% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 1a/1b — 5% (as boric acid) in talc, 0.1% oral hygiene, 3% other products, 18% bath products, 8% hair products; not for children under 3. Verified verbatim against source table for refs 1a and 1b. | Source |
| thioglycolic acid and its salts | Restricted | ≤ 11% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 2a — up to 11% professional hair waving/straightening, 8% general use, 5% depilatories, 2% other rinse-off hair products; pH-limited, warning labels required. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| n-substituted p-phenylenediamine / o-phenylenediamine derivatives | Restricted | ≤ 3% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 8 — max 3% calculated as free base after mixing; not for eyelash/eyebrow dyeing; allergy warning required. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| oxalic acid, its esters and alkaline salts | Restricted | ≤ 5% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 3 — max 5% in hair care products, professional use only. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| ammonia | Restricted | ≤ 6% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 4 — max 6% calculated as NH3; label "Contains Ammonia" above 2%. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| chloramine-T (tosylchloramide sodium) | Restricted | ≤ 0.2% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 5 — max 0.2%. Verified verbatim: "Tosylchloramide sodium (INN); Chloramine-T". | Source |
| sodium/potassium chlorate | Restricted | ≤ 5% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 6 — max 5% toothpaste, 3% other uses. Verified verbatim: "Chlorates of alkali metals". | Source |
| hydrogen peroxide (and releasing compounds, e.g. carbamide peroxide, zinc peroxide) | Restricted | ≤ 12% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 12 — max 12% hair, 4% skin, 2% nail hardening, 0.1% oral hygiene; tooth-whitening tiers with dental-practitioner-only supply above 0.1%. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| formaldehyde | Restricted | ≤ 2.2% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 13 — max 2.2% in nail-hardening products, allowed only in Lao PDR, must be labeled "Contains formaldehyde". Verified verbatim. | Source |
| hydroquinone | Restricted | ≤ 0.02% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 14 — max 0.02% in artificial nail systems, professional use only, avoid skin contact. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| sodium nitrite | Restricted | ≤ 0.2% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 17 — max 0.2% as rust inhibitor; not to be used with secondary/tertiary amines. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| resorcinol | Restricted | ≤ 1.25% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 22 — max 1.25% applied to hair in oxidative hair-dye, 0.5% hair lotions/shampoos; not for eyelash/eyebrow dyeing. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| salicylic acid | Restricted | ≤ 3% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 98 — max 3.0% rinse-off hair products, 2.0% other products, 0.5% body lotion/eye area/lip/roll-on deodorant; not for children under 3; not for oral products. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| triclocarban | Restricted | ≤ 1.5% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 100 — max 1.5% in rinse-off products; purity criteria on tetrachloroazo(xy)benzene impurities. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| zinc pyrithione | Restricted | ≤ 2% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 101 — max 0.1% leave-on hair products, 2.0% rinse-off hair products. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| glyoxal | Restricted | ≤ 0.01% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 102 — max 100 mg/kg. Verified verbatim. | Source |
| triclosan | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | ACD Annex III Part 1, Ref. No 288 — max 0.3% toothpaste/soaps/deodorant/facial cleansers etc., 0.2% mouthwash; Singapore does not permit non-preservative use. Verified verbatim. | Source |
2026-07-21 · Compiled from cited primary sources. Informational only — not legal advice.
Check a full formulation →