New Zealand cosmetic ingredient regulations
Official group-standard schedules cover prohibited, restricted and positive-list substances.
- Regulator
- Environmental Protection Authority
- Source language
- English
- Coverage version
- Cosmetic Products Group Standard schedules effective 1 January 2026
What this list is
New Zealand regulates cosmetics as hazardous substances. The rules sit in a group standard issued by the Environmental Protection Authority, not in a cosmetics act, and the schedules read differently as a result.
- 2,913 New Zealand records: 2,166 prohibited, 390 restricted, 357 on a positive list.
- The instrument is the Cosmetic Products Group Standard, made under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.
- The regulator is the Environmental Protection Authority, not a medicines or food agency.
- Schedules 4 to 8 mirror the EU annex structure closely, which makes the divergences easy to miss.
New Zealand reaches cosmetics through hazardous-substances law. The Cosmetic Products Group Standard, issued under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, sets the conditions under which cosmetic products may be imported or manufactured, and the Environmental Protection Authority administers it. There is no separate cosmetics regulator.
In substance the schedules will look familiar: schedules 4 through 8 are laid out much like the EU annexes, with prohibited substances, restricted substances and positive lists for colourants, preservatives and UV filters. That resemblance is the risk. Because the structure matches, it is easy to assume the contents do, and the group standard is amended on its own schedule by its own authority.
The 2,913 records here carry the status the group standard gives them. Where a substance appears as restricted, the limit and conditions are as written in the schedule; where a substance does not appear, no New Zealand entry was resolved for it, which is not the same as a finding that it may be used.
Checked against
Official ingredient records
2913 matching recordsp-Phenylenediamine and its salts e.g. p-phenylenediamine sulfate
CAS 16245-77-5 · EC 240-357-1
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 8a.
Conditions: Product scope: Hair dye substance in oxidative hair dye products: (a) General use (b) Professional use · Maximum concentration: (a) and (b): After mixing under oxidative conditions the maximum concentration applied to hair must not exceed 2% calculated as free base · Warnings: For (a): The mixing ratio. ⚠Hair colourants can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not intended for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary black henna tattoos may increase your risk of allergy. Do not colour your hair if: - you have a rash on your face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp, - you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair, - you have experienced a reaction to a temporary black henna tattoo in the past. Contains phenylenediamines. Do not use to dye eyelashes or eyebrows. For (b): The mixing ratio. For professional use only. ⚠Hair colourants can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not intended for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary black henna tattoos may increase your risk of allergy. Do not colour your hair if: - you have a rash on your face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp, - you have ever experienced any reaction after colouring your hair, - you have experienced a reaction to a temporary black henna tattoo in the past. Contains phenylenediamines. Wear suitable gloves.
Source:Schedule 5, reference 8a, source row 16 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
p-Phenylenediamine and its salts e.g. p-phenylenediamine sulfate
CAS 16245-77-5 · EC 240-357-1
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 8b.
Conditions: Product scope: Products intended for colouring eyelashes · Maximum concentration: After mixing under oxidative conditions the maximum concentration applied to eyelashes must not exceed 2% calculated as free base · Other limitations: For professional use only · Warnings: The mixing ratio. For professional use only. ⚠This product can cause severe allergic reactions. Read and follow instructions. This product is not intended for use on persons under the age of 16. Temporary black henna tattoos may increase your risk of allergy. Eyelashes shall not be coloured if the consumer: - has a rash on the face or sensitive, irritated and damaged scalp, - has experienced any reaction after colouring hair or eyelashes, - has experienced a reaction to a temporary “black henna” tattoo in the past. Rinse eyes immediately if product comes into contact with them. Contains phenylenediamines. Wear suitable gloves.
Source:Schedule 5, reference 8b, source row 19 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
psi,psi-Carotene (lycopene)
CAS 502-65-8
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 6, reference 110.
Conditions: Colour index: 75125 · CAS: 502-65-8 · Colour: Yellow · Other limitations: E 160d
Source:Schedule 6, reference 110, source row 114 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
tert-Butyl hydroperoxide
CAS 75-91-2
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 4, reference 1641.
Source:Schedule 4, reference 1641, source row 2134 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-2-Heptenal, when used as a fragrance ingredient
CAS 18829-55-5
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 4, reference 437.
Source:Schedule 4, reference 437, source row 461 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-2-Hexenal
CAS 6728-26-3 · EC 229-778-1
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 166.
Conditions: Product scope: (a) Oral products (b) Other products · Maximum concentration: (b) 0.02%
Source:Schedule 5, reference 166, source row 198 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-2-Hexenal diethyl acetal, when used as a fragrance ingredient
CAS 67746-30-9
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 4, reference 438.
Source:Schedule 4, reference 438, source row 462 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-2-Hexenal dimethyl acetal, when used as a fragrance ingredient
CAS 18318-83-7
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 4, reference 439.
Source:Schedule 4, reference 439, source row 463 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-4-Cyclohexyl-l-proline monohydrochloride
CAS 90657-55-9
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 4, reference 1117.
Source:Schedule 4, reference 1117, source row 1148 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-Rose ketone-1ξ (1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one; trans-alpha-damascone)
CAS 24720-09-0
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 163.
Conditions: Product scope: (a) Oral products (b) Other products · Maximum concentration: (b) 0.02%
Source:Schedule 5, reference 163, source row 195 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-Rose ketone-2ξ ((E)-1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one; trans-beta-damascone)
CAS 23726-91-2 · EC 245-842-1
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 158.
Conditions: Product scope: (a) Oral products (b) Other products · Maximum concentration: (b) 0.02%
Source:Schedule 5, reference 158, source row 190 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-Rose ketone-3ξ (1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one; trans-delta-damascone)
CAS 71048-82-3 · EC 275-156-8
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 165.
Conditions: Product scope: (a) Oral products (b) Other products
Source:Schedule 5, reference 165, source row 197 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
trans-Rose ketone-5ξ ((E)-1-(2,4,4-triemethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one; isodamascone)
CAS 39872-57-6 · EC 254-663-8
New Zealand Cosmetic Products Group Standard Schedule 5, reference 159.
Conditions: Maximum concentration: 0.02%
Source:Schedule 5, reference 159, source row 191 · version effective-2026-01-01 · effective Jan. 1, 2026 · source checked 2026-08-30
Market coverage contract
Complete schedules dataset- Included scope
- Schedules 4–8: prohibited, restricted, colourant, preservative and UV-filter entries.
- If no match is found
- The searchable spreadsheet is an aid; the legal Group Standard and incorporated notices remain authoritative.
Complete verification checklist
- Search exact identity across Schedules 4–8.
- Apply use, concentration and warning conditions.
- Check hazardous-substance classification and Group Standard scope.
- Confirm the latest legal instrument, not only the spreadsheet.
How New Zealand 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.
Permitted here under conditions and prohibited, or more tightly held, elsewhere — so a formula built for this market may not travel.
and 125 more — see the full comparison
Official sources and legal role
New Zealand cosmetic product schedules 4–8
Prohibited and restricted substances, permitted colorants, preservatives and UV filters
Legal meaning: Official EPA group standard schedules; current market-specific rule source
Available language: English
What this market page can answer
Source and authority
Identify the official material and the regulator responsible for it: Environmental Protection Authority.
Language and scope
See whether usable English or bilingual material exists and what the mapped source actually covers. Current source language: English.
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.