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Annex II Entry 375 20/10/2010

Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)

Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts) is listed in Annex II as a prohibited substance for cosmetic products placed on the EU market.

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Prohibited substance— Annex II, EU Regulation 1223/2009
Entry: 375

Chemical identity and properties

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 302-79-4
CAS 302-79-4PubChem CID 444795

Retinoic Acid

All-trans-retinoic acid is a retinoic acid in which all four exocyclic double bonds have E- (trans-) geometry. It has a role as an antioxidant, an antineoplastic agent, a keratolytic drug, a signalling molecule, a retinoid X receptor agonist, an anti-inflammatory agent, a retinoic acid receptor agonist, an AP-1 antagonist and a human metabolite. It is a vitamin A and a retinoic acid. It is a conjugate acid of an all-trans-retinoate. — ChEBI

IUPAC name
(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenoic acid
Molecular formula
C20H28O2
Molecular weight
300.4 g/mol
Exact mass
300.208930132 Da
XLogP3
6.3
Topological polar surface area
37.3 Ų
Hydrogen-bond donors
1
Hydrogen-bond acceptors
2
Covalent units
1
Defined stereocentres
0

Also known as

tretinoinall-trans-Retinoic acidVitamin A acidtrans-Retinoic acidATRAAberelEudynaDermairol
16 more reported names
Renovaall-trans-Vitamin A acidCordes vasRetin ATretin Mall-trans-TretinoinRetionic acidall-trans-Vitamin A1 acidbeta-RaRetin-A MicroVitamin A1 acid, all-trans-beta-Retinoic acidTretinoinaAtralinall-(E)-Retinoic acidAll Trans Retinoic Acid
Open full PubChem recordPubChem annotations3D structure image
External database identifiers

Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-09-02 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.

Record details

Chemical name

Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)

Regulatory information

Regulation

(EC) 2009/1223

See every entry this act set

Identified ingredients

Key data

CAS
302-79-4
EC
206-129-0
Annex
II
Entry number
375

Inventory links for Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)

Inventory Restriction reference
Ref 85067

RETINOIC ACID

CAS: 302-79-4
EC: 206-129-0

Direct matches are limited for this record, so nearby entries from Annex II are shown as well.

What Annex II means for Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)

Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts) is listed as a prohibited substance under Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 and must not be intentionally added. Article 17 separately addresses unintended small quantities that are technically unavoidable under good manufacturing practice and compatible with the Article 3 safety requirement.

Formulators must screen their ingredients and raw materials to ensure none contain this substance. Suppliers should provide documentation confirming absence when requested.

This record is linked to 3 CosIng inventory ingredients for name and identifier cross-reference. The page also surfaces 12 related annex records with overlapping identifiers, annex logic or naming patterns.

Compliance checklist

  • Verify this substance is absent from all raw materials and finished formulations.
  • Request absence confirmation or CoA from raw material suppliers.
  • Document the screening result in the Product Information File (PIF).

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts) is listed in Annex II of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 and is prohibited as an intentionally added cosmetic ingredient. Article 17 provides a narrow exception for unintended small quantities that are technically unavoidable under good manufacturing practice, provided the product remains safe under Article 3.

CAS 302-79-4 is the unique numerical identifier assigned to Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts) by the Chemical Abstracts Service. In cosmetic compliance work, the CAS number is used to cross-reference the substance across regulatory databases, raw material specifications and safety assessment reports. Multiple EU annex entries may share the same CAS number if the same substance appears under different conditions or in different annexes.

Use the INCI Checker tool on this site to paste your full ingredient list (INCI) and scan it against all Annex II–VI entries. The tool highlights any ingredients that match restricted, prohibited or allergen-flagged records. This is useful for rapid compliance screening of finished product formulas or raw material declarations.
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Source note for Annex II record Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts)

This page summarizes one Annex II record for Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts) from public European Commission cosmetic materials and adds linked inventory or identifier matches when available.

Use this record page to review Annex II conditions for Tretinoin (INN) (retinoic acid and its salts), but confirm any final regulatory decision against the current official annex wording and source files.

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