EU Updates Four Cosmetic Ingredient Lists Based on SCCS Opinions

In light of recent SCCS opinions, EU adopted 13 changes to the ingredient lists in the Cosmetics Regulation, including: 1) List of prohibited ingredients: 1 revision and 1 addition 2) List of restricted ingredients: 3 revisions and 6 additions 3) List of permitted preservatives: 1 addition 4) List of permitted UV filters: 1 revision

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 28, 2026, and updated on May 12, 2026. On May 5 and May 8, the EU issued two corrigenda to Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/909 (2026/90354 and 2026/90369), correcting the reference numbers of newly added restricted and prohibited ingredients, respectively. Accordingly, the relevant ingredient reference numbers in this article have been updated.

In July 2025, the EU notified the WTO of a draft regulation introducing amendments to four ingredient lists of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (Cosmetics Regulation), reflecting the latest opinions issued by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). The finalized amendments were published on April 28, 2026, under Commission Regulation (EU) 2026/909 (the Regulation). The amending regulation will take effect on May 18, 2026, with transitional provisions for certain revisions.¹

Compared with the draft version, the finalized Regulation includes revisions to the ingredient names and applicable product types for certain ingredients. Below are the details of the final text, with amendments to the existing lists indicated in red.

1. List of Prohibited Ingredients: 1 revised and 1 added

Triphenyl phosphate is currently not regulated under the Cosmetics Regulation. Following an SCCS opinion in July 2024 concluding that its safety could not be established due to insufficient data and possible genotoxicity, the Regulation adds the ingredient to the list of prohibited ingredients.

Silver zinc zeolite is presently listed as a prohibited ingredient. In 2023, SCCS confirmed that its use as a preservative under specified conditions is considered safe. The Regulation therefore amends its existing entry to allow such use.