European Commission — Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annexes II/III/V
EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 Annex II/III/V + amendments via CosIng
41 compiled entries · 7 banned · 34 restricted
| Ingredient | Status | Limit | Rule | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hydroquinone | Banned | — | Annex II, entry 1339 (prohibited) | Source |
| mercury | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited except trace) | Source |
| lead acetate | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited) | Source |
| formaldehyde | Restricted | ≤ 0.2% | Annex V, entry 5 (preservative max 0.2%; 0.05% in oral) | Source |
| salicylic acid | Restricted | ≤ 2% | Annex III, entry 1 (leave-on ≤2%; rinse-off ≤3%; not for under-3) | Source |
| retinol | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | Reg. 2024/996 ≤0.3% leave-on face; ≤0.05% body; ≤0.05% hand cream | Source |
| retinyl palmitate | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | Reg. 2024/996 (retinol equivalents, same limits as retinol) | Source |
| kojic acid | Restricted | ≤ 1% | Reg. 2023/1490 ≤1.0% in face/hand products | Source |
| alpha-arbutin | Restricted | ≤ 2% | Reg. 2021/1099 ≤2% face; ≤0.5% body wash | Source |
| arbutin | Restricted | ≤ 7% | Reg. 2021/1099 ≤7% face; ≤1% body wash | Source |
| hydrogen peroxide | Restricted | ≤ 4% | Annex III, entry 12 (up to 4% hair; up to 12% for teeth under professional conditions) | Source |
| resorcinol | Restricted | ≤ 0.5% | Annex III (hair dye/anti-dandruff ≤0.5% in rinse-off) | Source |
| selenium sulfide | Restricted | ≤ 1% | Annex III ≤1% anti-dandruff shampoos only | Source |
| fluoride | Restricted | ≤ 0.15% | Annex III ≤0.15% F- (oral hygiene); ≤0.15% in other products | Source |
| zinc pyrithione | Restricted | ≤ 1% | Annex III ≤1.0% hair/scalp; prohibited leave-on | Source |
| propylene glycol | Restricted | ≤ 57% | CIR 2020: safe as used; EU flags ≥57% requires label warning (not a hard cap) | Source |
| triclosan | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | Annex V, entry 25 (toothpaste/mouthwash ≤0.3%; prohibited in other products) | Source |
| phenoxyethanol | Restricted | ≤ 1% | Annex V, entry 29 (max 1.0%) | Source |
| methylisothiazolinone | Restricted | ≤ 0.0015% | Annex V, entry 39 (rinse-off only, ≤0.0015%); banned leave-on | Source |
| benzalkonium chloride | Restricted | ≤ 0.1% | Annex V, entry 31 (rinse-off ≤0.1%; leave-on face ≤0.05%) | Source |
| chlorphenesin | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | Annex V, entry 33 (≤0.3%) | Source |
| benzoic acid | Restricted | ≤ 2.5% | Annex V, entry 1 (≤2.5% rinse-off; ≤0.5% leave-on) | Source |
| sorbic acid | Restricted | ≤ 0.6% | Annex V, entry 6 (≤0.6%) | Source |
| sodium benzoate | Restricted | ≤ 2.5% | Annex V, entry 1 (as benzoic acid equivalent) | Source |
| dehydroacetic acid | Restricted | ≤ 0.6% | Annex V, entry 8 (≤0.6%) | Source |
| imidazolidinyl urea | Restricted | ≤ 0.6% | Annex V, entry 25 (≤0.6%) | Source |
| dmdm hydantoin | Restricted | ≤ 0.6% | Annex V (formaldehyde releaser, ≤0.6%) | Source |
| quaternium-15 | Restricted | ≤ 0.2% | Annex V (formaldehyde releaser, ≤0.2%) | Source |
| 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol | Restricted | ≤ 0.1% | Annex V, entry 34 (bronopol, ≤0.1%; no aerosol) | Source |
| methylparaben | Restricted | ≤ 0.4% | Annex V (0.4% single; 0.8% total parabens) | Source |
| ethylparaben | Restricted | ≤ 0.4% | Annex V (0.4% single; 0.8% total parabens) | Source |
| propylparaben | Restricted | ≤ 0.14% | Annex V (propyl/butyl combined ≤0.14%) | Source |
| butylparaben | Restricted | ≤ 0.14% | Annex V (propyl/butyl combined ≤0.14%) | Source |
| isopropylparaben | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited in cosmetics) | Source |
| isobutylparaben | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited in cosmetics) | Source |
| oxybenzone | Restricted | ≤ 6% | Annex VI (benzophenone-3, ≤6%; label 'contains benzophenone-3' if >0.5%) | Source |
| benzophenone-3 | Restricted | ≤ 6% | Annex VI (≤6%); label warning required >0.5% | Source |
| homosalate | Restricted | ≤ 7.34% | Reg. 2021/1317 ≤7.34% (endocrine risk reassessment) | Source |
| octocrylene | Restricted | ≤ 9% | Annex VI (≤9%) | Source |
| basic red 51 | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited — genotoxic hair dye) | Source |
| basic orange 31 | Banned | — | Annex II (prohibited — genotoxic hair dye) | Source |
2026-07-21 · Compiled from cited primary sources. Informational only — not legal advice.
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