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Annex III Entry 376 04/04/2024

Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate

(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraen-1-ol; [(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenyl] acetate; [(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenyl] hexadecanoate

Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate is listed in Annex III and may only be used under the conditions shown in this record. Maximum concentration in this record: (a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE.

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Restricted substance— Annex III, EU Regulation 1223/2009
Max conc.: (a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE
Entry: 376

Record details

Maximum concentration

(a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE

Product type

Body lotion Other leave-on and rinse-off products

Other restrictions

From 1 November 2025 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the conditions shall not be placed on the Union market. From 1 May 2027 cosmetic products containing that substance and not complying with the conditions shall not be made available on the Union market.

Warnings

For any cosmetic product containing Retinol, Retinyl Acetate or Retinyl Palmitate the following, labelling is obligatory: ‘Contains Vitamin A. Consider your daily intake before use’.

INCI glossary name

Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate

Chemical name

(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraen-1-ol; [(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenyl] acetate; [(2E,4E,6E,8E)-3,7-dimethyl-9-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)nona-2,4,6,8-tetraenyl] hexadecanoate

Regulatory information

Regulation

(EU) 2024/996

SCCS opinions

Identified ingredients

Key data

CAS
11103-57-4/ 68-26-8; 127-47-9; 79-81-2
EC
234-328-2/ 200-683-7; 204-844-2; 201-228-5
Annex
III
Entry number
376

Inventory links for Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate

Inventory Identified ingredient
Ref 37479

RETINOL

CAS: 68-26-8 / 11103-57-4
EC: 200-683-7 / 234-328-2
Inventory Identified ingredient
Ref 37480

RETINYL ACETATE

CAS: 127-47-9
EC: 204-844-2

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

Annex III 377
Shared product type

Alpha-Arbutin

CAS: 84380-01-8
EC: 617-561-8
Annex III 375
Nearby record in the same annex

Kojic Acid

CAS: 501-30-4
EC: 207-922-4
Annex III 374
Nearby record in the same annex

Daidzein

CAS: 486-66-8
EC: 207-635-4
Annex III 378
Nearby record in the same annex

Arbutin

CAS: 497-76-7
EC: 207-850-3
Annex III 373
Nearby record in the same annex

Genistein

CAS: 446-72-0
EC: 207-174-9
Annex III 379
Nearby record in the same annex

Silver

CAS: 7440-22-4
EC: 231-131-3
Annex III 380
Nearby record in the same annex

Hexyl Salicylate

CAS: 6259-76-3
EC: 228-408-6
Annex III 371
Nearby record in the same annex

Pinene

CAS: 80-56-8/ 7785-70-8/ 127-91-3/ 18172-67-3
EC: 201-291-9/ 232-087-8/ 204-872-5/ 242-060-2

What Annex III means for Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate

Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate is a restricted substance under Annex III of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. Its use in cosmetics is only permitted under the specific conditions set out in the entry above, including applicable concentration limits, product type restrictions and required warning statements.

When including this substance in a formulation, all conditions — maximum concentration, product scope and warning labels — must be met simultaneously. Compliance with one condition does not override the others.

This record is linked to 3 CosIng inventory ingredients for name and identifier cross-reference. The page also surfaces 11 related annex records with overlapping identifiers, annex logic or naming patterns.

Compliance checklist

  • Ensure formulation concentration does not exceed: (a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE
  • Confirm product type compatibility: (a) Body lotion (b) other leave-on and rinse-off products
  • Include required warning statement on product label.
  • Document conditions of use in the Product Information File (PIF).

Frequently asked questions

Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate is listed in Annex III of EU Regulation 1223/2009 as a restricted substance. It may only be used under the conditions specified in the entry, including any maximum concentration, product type limitation and required warning statements shown above.

CAS 11103-57-4/ 68-26-8; 127-47-9; 79-81-2 is the unique numerical identifier assigned to Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate 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.

The maximum concentration of (a) 0,05 % Retinol Equivalent (RE) (b) 0,3 % RE applies to the concentration of the substance in the ready-to-use cosmetic product. When the substance is supplied as part of a blend or mixture, the calculation must account for the contribution of all sources in the formulation. The combined concentration must not exceed the stated limit.

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 III record Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate

This page summarizes one Annex III record for Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate from public European Commission cosmetic materials and adds linked inventory or identifier matches when available.

Use this record page to review Annex III conditions for Retinol; Retinyl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate, but confirm any final regulatory decision against the current official annex wording and source files.

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