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Annex II Entry 43 07/01/2011

Arsenic and its compounds

Arsenic and its compounds 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: 43

Chemical identity and properties

PubChem 2D chemical structure for CAS 7440-38-2
CAS 7440-38-2PubChem CID 5359596

Arsenic

Arsenic atom is a metalloid atom and a pnictogen. It has a role as a micronutrient. — ChEBI

IUPAC name
arsenic
Molecular formula
As
Molecular weight
74.92159 g/mol
Exact mass
74.921595 Da
Topological polar surface area
0.0 Ų
Hydrogen-bond donors
0
Hydrogen-bond acceptors
0
Covalent units
1
Defined stereocentres
0

Also known as

ArsenArsenic-75CHEBI:27563Gray arsenicColloidal arsenicArsenic, elementalScherbenkobaltDietary Arsenic
16 more reported names
Arsenic 75RefChem:5564ELEMENTAL ARSENICARSENICUM METALLICUMCHEBI:35826N712M78A8G231-148-6Arsenic BlackArsenic ionarsenic(III) cationAsGrey arsenicMetallic arsenicArsenicalsARSENIC METALarsenic atom
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External database identifiers

Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-08-31 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.

Record details

Chemical name

Arsenic and its compounds

Regulatory information

Regulation

(EC) 2009/1223

See every entry this act set

Key data

CAS
7440-38-2
EC
231-148-6
Annex
II
Entry number
43

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

Annex II 47
Nearby record in the same annex

Benzene

CAS: 71-43-2
EC: 200-753-7

What Annex II means for Arsenic and its compounds

Arsenic and its compounds 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.

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. Arsenic and its compounds 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 7440-38-2 is the unique numerical identifier assigned to Arsenic and its compounds 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 Arsenic and its compounds

This page summarizes one Annex II record for Arsenic and its compounds 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 Arsenic and its compounds, but confirm any final regulatory decision against the current official annex wording and source files.

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