On 24 January 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that five dangerous substances had been added to the REACH Candidate List, which now contains 240 entries. These include two UV absorbers that can be used in cosmetics.
Of the five new substances now on the REACH Cadidate List, two can be used in cosmetics (they are listed in CosIng and not present in Annex II of prohibited substances in European COsmetics Regulation 1223/2009).
The ingredients involved
Octrizole
2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol (CAS No. 3147-75-9; EC No. 221-573-5; INCI: Octrizole) is a ingredient listed in CosIng with the function: UV absorber.
It is currently not regulated by the Cosmetics Regulation.
ECHA has included it on the Candidate List because of its vPvB (very Persistent, very Bioaccumulative) characteristics.
Bumetrizole
Bumetrizole (CAS No. 3896-11-5; EC No. 223-445-4; INCI: Bumetrizole) is a ingredient listed in CosIng with the function: UV absorber.
It is currently not regulated by the Cosmetics Regulation.
It has also been included on the Candidate List for its vPvB characteristics.
Obligations for companies
Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List.
If an article contains a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1% (weight by weight), suppliers have to give their customers and consumers information on how to use it safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers if the products they …
