Are product type conditions for Leave-on hair products legally binding?

Yes. Product type conditions in Annex III are legally binding under EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. A product that does not comply with product type conditions for a restricted ingredient is non-compliant, regardless of whether concentration limits are met.

How do I verify product type compliance for my formula?

Use the INCI Checker on CosIng Checker to scan your ingredient list against all Annex II–VI entries. For each flagged ingredient, open its record to review the product type conditions, maximum concentration and any applicable warnings.

Product type 2 records

Leave-on hair products

2 EU annex records carry product type conditions for Leave-on hair products cosmetics under Regulation 1223/2009. Conditions may include concentration limits, warnings and usage restrictions.

INCI Checker All product types

Records mentioning Leave-on hair products

2 total

Annex

III

Entry

286

CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1) / STRARTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1)

C16-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride C18-alkyltrimethyammonium chloride

For purposes other than inhibiting the development of microorganisms in the product. The purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product.

CAS

112-02-7

203-928-6

Max concentration

Annex

III

Entry

287

BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1)

C22-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride

For purposes other than inhibiting the development of microorganisms in the product. The purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product.

CAS

17301-53-0

241-327-0

Max concentration

How Leave-on hair products conditions affect compliance

There are 2 EU annex records on this page that mention the Leave-on hair products product type category. Product type wording is where the regulation tells you whether a substance may, may not, or may only conditionally be used in that cosmetic category.

Reviewing records by product type is useful when your finished product clearly falls into the Leave-on hair products category and you need to check whether maximum concentrations, warnings or annex placement change for that use case.

Frequently asked questions

For substances listed in Annex III of EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009, the product type field specifies which cosmetic categories the substance is permitted or restricted in. A substance with a restriction tied to Leave-on hair products products may be permitted at a different concentration, or prohibited altogether, in other product categories. Each entry should be read individually.

Yes. Product type conditions set out in Annex III are legally binding under EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009. A cosmetic product that does not comply with the product type conditions for a restricted ingredient is not compliant, regardless of whether other conditions (such as concentration limits) are met.

Use the INCI Checker tool to scan your ingredient list against all Annex II–VI entries. For each flagged ingredient, open its individual record to review the product type conditions, maximum concentration and any applicable warnings to confirm they are compatible with your intended product category.

Open INCI Checker

A prohibited substance (Annex II) may not be present in any cosmetic product at any concentration. A restricted substance (Annex III) may be used but only under specific conditions — such as product type limitations, maximum concentrations and mandatory warnings. Both types of records appear in the list above if they carry a product type field.

Tools & next steps

Check your formula

Scan a full INCI list, then check whether flagged substances carry conditions for Leave-on hair products products.

INCI Checker

All product types

Browse all cosmetic product-type categories and compare how Leave-on hair products sits against neighbouring use cases.

View all product types

Browse Annex III

View all restricted substances in Annex III, including their product type conditions.

Open Annex III