On 17 January 2022, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that four hazardous substances had been added to the REACH Candidate List, which now has 223 entries. Among them, two can still be used in cosmetics.
Under the REACH Regulation, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List.
Any supplier of articles containing a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1% (weight by weight) has to give sufficient information to their customers and consumers to allow safe use. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers whether products they buy contain substances of very high concern.
Importers and producers of articles have to notify ECHA if their article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date it has been included in the list (in this case on 17 January 2022). Suppliers of substances on the Candidate List (supplied either on their own or in mixtures) have to provide their customers with a safety data sheet.
They also have to notify ECHA under the Waste Framework Directive if their products contain substances of very high concern in a concentration above 0.1% (weight by weight). This notification is published in the SCIP database on the Agency’s website.
The substances involved
Among the four new entries on the Candidate List are two that can be used in cosmetic products.
4-MBC …
