European Union cosmetic ingredient regulations
EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 annexes and the CosIng discovery database.
- Regulator
- European Commission
- Source language
- English and EU languages
- Coverage version
- Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 consolidated to 1 May 2026
What this list is
The EU list is not one list. Regulation 1223/2009 splits substances across five annexes that answer different questions, and reading the wrong one is the most common way to get an EU answer wrong.
- Annex II prohibits 1,739 substances outright.
- Annex III permits 373 substances only within stated limits, product types and warnings.
- Annexes IV, V and VI are positive lists: 154 colourants, 54 preservatives, 33 UV filters.
- For those three categories, absence from the annex means not permitted — the opposite of Annex II's logic.
- CosIng is a discovery database, not the law; the annexes as published are.
Most markets on this site publish one list. The EU publishes five, and they do not work the same way. Annex II names substances that may not be used at all. Annex III names substances that may be used, but only within a concentration limit, for stated product types, and often with a warning that must appear on the label. Annexes IV, V and VI are positive lists for colourants, preservatives and UV filters.
That last distinction reverses the logic and catches people out. For a substance in general, absence from Annex II is not permission — nothing has been decided about it. For a preservative, absence from Annex V is a decision: it may not be used as a preservative in a cosmetic product. The same silence means opposite things depending on which annex you are reading.
CosIng is worth naming separately, because it is what most searches land on. It is the Commission's database for finding ingredients and their annex references, and it is genuinely useful for that. It is not the legal text. When CosIng and the published annex disagree — usually because an amendment has come into force and the database has not caught up — the annex governs.
An Annex III entry is also more than a number. The limit, the product-type condition and the warning text travel together, and quoting the concentration without the condition it applies to produces an answer that is right about the figure and wrong about the product.
Checked against
Official ingredient records
2353 matching recordsA mixture of: Reaction product of 4,4'-methylenebis[2-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-3,6-dimethylphenol] and 6-diazo-5,6-dihydro-5-oxo-naphthalenesulfonate (1:2), and reaction product of 4,4'-methylenebis[2-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-3,6-dimethylphenol] and 6-diazo-5,6-dihydro-5-oxo-naphthalenesulfonate (1:3)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1187 · 15/10/2010
Malachite green hydrochloride [1]; Malachite green oxalate [2]
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1188 · 24/11/2016
1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-3-(1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)pentan-3-ol
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1189 · 15/10/2010
5-(alpha,beta-Dibromophenethyl)-5-methylhydantoin
Source reference: Annex II, entry 119 · 15/10/2010
5-(3-Butyryl-2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-2-[1-(ethoxyimino)propyl]-3-hydroxycyclohex-2-en-1-one
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1190 · 15/10/2010
trans-4-Phenyl-L-proline
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1191 · 15/10/2010
A mixture of: 5-[(4-[(7-Amino-1-hydroxy-3-sulfo-2-naphthyl)azo]-2,5-diethoxyphenyl)azo]-2-[(3-phosphonophenyl)azo]benzoic acid, and 5-[(4-[(7-amino-1-hydroxy-3-sulfo-2-naphthyl)azo]-2,5-diethoxyphenyl)azo]-3-[(3-phosphonophenyl)azo]benzoic acid
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1193 · 15/10/2010
2-{4-(2-Ammoniopropylamino)-6-[4-hydroxy-3-(5-methyl-2-methoxy-4-sulfamoylphenylazo)-2-sulfonatonaphth-7-ylamino]-1,3,5-triazin-2-ylamino}-2-aminopropyl formate
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1194 · 15/10/2010
5-Nitro-o-toluidine [1]; 5-Nitro-o-toluidine hydrochloride [2]
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1195 · 24/11/2016
1-(1-Naphthylmethyl)quinolinium chloride
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1196 · 15/10/2010
(R)-5-Bromo-3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinylmethyl)-1H-indole
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1197 · 15/10/2010
Aconitine (principal alkaloid of Aconitum napellus L.) and its salts
Source reference: Annex II, entry 12 · 15/10/2010
N,N'-Pentamethylenebis(trimethylammonium) salts, e.g. pentamethonium bromide (INN)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 120 · 20/10/2010
Chlorotoluron; (3-(3-Chloro-p-tolyl)-1,1-dimethylurea)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1200 · 15/10/2010
N-[2-(3-Acetyl-5-nitrothiophen-2-ylazo)-5-diethylaminophenyl]acetamide
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1201 · 15/10/2010
1,3-Bis(vinylsulfonylacetamido)propane
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1202 · 15/10/2010
p-Phenetidine (4-Ethoxyaniline)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1203 · 21/10/2010
m-Phenylenediamine and its salts
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1204 · 05/01/2011
Residues (coal tar), creosote oil distn., if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1205 · 15/10/2010
Creosote oil, acenaphthene fraction, wash oil, if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1206 · 15/10/2010
Creosote oil, if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1207 · 15/10/2010
Creosote, if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1208 · 15/10/2010
Creosote oil, high-boiling distillate, wash oil, if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1209 · 15/10/2010
N,N'-[(Methylimino)diethylene]bis(ethyldimethylammonium) salts, e.g. azamethonium bromide (INN)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 121 · 20/10/2010
Extract residues (coal), creosote oil acid, wash oil extract residue
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1210 · 15/10/2010
Creosote oil, low-boiling distillate, wash oil, if it contains > 0.005 % w/w benzo[a]pyrene
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1211 · 15/10/2010
6-Methoxy-2,3-pyridinediamine and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1212 · 15/10/2010
2,3-Naphthalenediol, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1213 · 21/10/2010
2,4-Diaminodiphenylamine, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1214 · 15/10/2010
2,6-Bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)-3,5-pyridinediamine and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1215 · 15/10/2010
2-Methoxymethyl-p-aminophenol and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1216 · 15/10/2010
4,5-Diamino-1-methylpyrazole and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1217 · 15/10/2010
4,5-Diamino-1-((4-chlorophenyl)methyl)-1H-pyrazole sulfate, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1218 · 15/10/2010
4-Chloro-2-aminophenol, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1219 · 15/10/2010
4-Hydroxyindole, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1220 · 15/10/2010
4-Methoxytoluene-2,5-diamine and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1221 · 15/10/2010
5-Amino-4-fluoro-2-methylphenol sulfate, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1222 · 15/10/2010
N,N-Diethyl-m-aminophenol, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1223 · 15/10/2010
N,N-Dimethyl-2,6-pyridinediamine and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1224 · 15/10/2010
N-Cyclopentyl-m-aminophenol, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1225 · 15/10/2010
N-(2-Methoxyethyl)-p-phenylenediamine and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1226 · 21/10/2010
2,4-Diamino-5-methylphenetol and its HCl salt, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1227 · 15/10/2010
1,7-Naphthalenediol, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1228 · 21/10/2010
3,4-Diaminobenzoic acid, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1229 · 21/10/2010
Clofenotane (INN); DDT (ISO)
Source reference: Annex II, entry 123 · 20/10/2010
2-Aminomethyl-p-aminophenol and its HCl salts, when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1230 · 15/10/2010
Solvent Red 1 (CI 12150), when used as a substance in hair dye products
Source reference: Annex II, entry 1231 · 15/10/2010
Market coverage contract
Complete annex dataset- Included scope
- Annexes II–VI: prohibited and restricted substances, colourants, preservatives and UV filters.
- If no match is found
- No annex match only means that these five annexes did not return a match; CosIng identity data and other EU obligations still need review.
Complete verification checklist
- Confirm the exact INCI/CAS/EC identity.
- Review every matching Annex II–VI row and its conditions.
- Check SCCS opinions, CMR/nanomaterial rules and later amendments.
- Verify product classification, claims, labelling and responsible-person duties.
How European Union differs from other markets
Comparing this market's imported rules against every other market's for the same substance. A market with no imported rule for a substance is left out of that comparison rather than treated as permitting it.
A formula cleared elsewhere can fail here.
and 22 more — see the full comparison
Permitted here under conditions and prohibited, or more tightly held, elsewhere — so a formula built for this market may not travel.
and 103 more — see the full comparison
Official sources and legal role
PubChem PUG-View annotations
Attributed physical-property, hazard, environmental, use and literature annotations for uniquely matched PubChem compounds
Legal meaning: Scientific context aggregated by PubChem; individual values retain their named depositor or publication source
EMBL-EBI ChEBI 2.0
Curated definitions, chemical classes, roles, names, relationships and cross-references
Legal meaning: Curated scientific ontology; not a cosmetics permission or prohibition list
FDA Global Substance Registration System
UNII identifiers, preferred names, substance types, codes and public substance relationships
Legal meaning: Identity registry only; UNII availability does not imply FDA review or approval
Cosmetic Ingredient Review safety assessments
Expert Panel conclusions, assessed ingredient groups, use conditions, dates and report documents
Legal meaning: Independent expert review considered by FDA; not a government approval or binding market rule
EU Safety Gate cosmetic product alerts
Published cosmetic product alerts, notifying country, risk, product identifiers and corrective measures
Legal meaning: Official market-surveillance alerts; not proof that a named ingredient caused an incident
Available language: English and EU languages
What this market page can answer
Source and authority
Identify the official material and the regulator responsible for it: European Commission.
Language and scope
See whether usable English or bilingual material exists and what the mapped source actually covers. Current source language: English and EU languages.
Evidence status
Browse ingredient-level records imported from official sources. Each row states whether it passed deterministic source checks or human editorial review.
How to verify an ingredient for this market
- Search the ingredient by INCI name, CAS number or EC number and record the exact identity.
- Open each official source above and check the current version, product scope, concentration limits and required warnings.
- Confirm effective dates and whether an English text is official, reviewed or only contextual.
- Treat a missing local match as unknown, never as permission or a safety conclusion.