Request a Demo
The safety of cosmetic products is closely linked to the safety of their ingredients. Regions such as the European Union, ASEAN, and China have developed extensive lists to manage thousands of cosmetic ingredients, including those that are banned, restricted, or permitted. In contrast, the United States has a comparatively limited approach to ingredient regulation.
At the federal level, the U.S. government imposes strict control over colorants, but only a small number of other ingredients are banned or restricted, with infrequent updates to these lists. This limited federal oversight has led individual states to introduce their own and often more stringent regulations, creating additional lists of banned or restricted ingredients. This decentralized regulatory framework, while providing additional consumer protection, creates significant challenges for companies, which must navigate the complexities of varying state-specific requirements.
To assist businesses in understanding and complying with the varying requirements across the U.S., ChemLinked has compiled a comprehensive overview of the banned and restricted ingredient lists at both the federal and state levels.
Federal-Level Restrictions and Prohibitions on Cosmetic Ingredients
Ingredient Name | CAS No. | Conditions | |
Prohibited Ingredients | Bithionol | 97-18-7 | |
Chlorofluorocarbon propellants | / | ||
Chloroform | 67-66-3 | ||
Halogenated salicylanilides (di-, tri-, metabromsalan and tetrachlorosalicylanilide) | / | ||
Methylene chloride | 75-09-2 | ||
Prohibited cattle materials | / | ||
Vinyl chloride | 75-01-4 | ||
Zirconium-containing complexes | / | ||
Microbeads | / | Starting from January 1, 2017, the production of rinse-off cosmetics with intentionally added plastic microbeads is prohibited. From January 1, 2018, the sale of such cosmetics is banned. These bans are delayed by one year for rinse-off cosmetics that are also over-the-counter drugs. | |
Restricted Ingredients | Hexachlorophene (HCP) | 70-30-4 | HCP is permitted only when no alternative preservative is equally effective, with a maximum concentration of 0.1%, and is prohibited in cosmetics applied to mucous membranes. |
Mercury compounds | / |
| |
Sunscreens in cosmetics | / | Sunscreen in cosmetics must be labeled with its purpose, like "Contains a sunscreen to protect product color," or it may be regulated as a drug. |
States-Level Restrictions and Prohibitions on Cosmetic Ingredients
Apart from the baseline standards set by the federal government, several U.S. states have enacted more specific bans or restrictions on certain ingredients. Below is a summary of some key state-level regulations:
No. | State | Restricted or Prohibited Ingredients | Effective Date | Notes |
1 | California | Prohibited ingredient: Plastic microbeads | January 1, 2020 | It is prohibited for use in personal care products for exfoliation or cleansing in rinse-off applications, like toothpaste. However, products with less than 1 ppm of the ingredient by weight may be exempt from the ban when sold or promoted. |
24 Prohibited ingredients:
| January 1, 2025 | The intentional addition of these ingredients is strictly prohibited in cosmetics, except for technically unavoidable trace amounts stemming from impurities of natural or synthetic ingredients, the manufacturing process, storage, or migration from packaging, which are not considered violations. | ||
26 Prohibited ingredients:
| January 1, 2027 | |||
Prohibited ingredients: PFAS | January 1, 2025 | |||
2 | Prohibited ingredients:
| January 1, 2021 | The use of these two ingredients, either individually or together, is prohibited in sunscreens without a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider. | |
3 | Illinois | Prohibited ingredient: Mercury | June 1, 2009 | It is banned for use in cosmetics, toiletries, and fragrances. |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
For the full list, please refer to the free report below:
#Reports
Lists of Restricted and Prohibited Cosmetic Ingredients in the United StatesThe safety of cosmetic products is closely linked to the safety of their ingredients. Regions such as the European Union, ASEAN, and China have developed extensive lists to manage thousands of cosmetic ingredients, including those that are banned, restricted, or permitted. In contrast, the United States has a comparatively limited approach to ingredient regulation.At the federal level, the U.S. government imposes strict control over colorants, but only a small number of other ingredients are banned or restricted, with infrequent updates to these lists. This limited federal oversight has led individual states to introduce their own and often more stringent regulations, creating additional lists of banned or restricted ingredients. This decentralized regulatory framework, while providing additional consumer protection, creates significant challenges for companies, which must navigate the complexities of varying state-specific requirements.To assist businesses in understanding and complying with the varying requirements across the U.S., ChemLinked has compiled a comprehensive overview of the banned and restricted ingredient lists at both the federal and state levels.In addition to the examples above, several other U.S. states have also introduced PFAS bans in cosmetics. For more detailed information on these regulations, please refer to our article: PFAS in Cosmetics: A Guide to Federal and State Regulations in the U.S.
With extensive compliance experience and expertise in cosmetics, ChemLinked provides comprehensive global ingredient regulatory research service. For more information and further support, please contact us at [email protected].
We provide full-scale global cosmetic market entry services (including cosmetic registering & filing, regulatory consultation, customized training, market research, branding strategy). Please contact us to discuss how we can help you by 
