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SAArabic and EnglishOfficial records available

Saudi Arabia cosmetic ingredient regulations

SFDA publishes dated prohibited and restricted ingredient lists.

Regulator
Saudi Food and Drug Authority
Source language
Arabic and English
Coverage version
SFDA live prohibited/restricted lists, snapshot 30 August 2026

What this list is

Saudi Arabia's prohibited and restricted lists are published by the SFDA and follow the Gulf technical regulation, which tracks the EU annexes closely — closely enough that the differences are easy to overlook.

  • 2,090 Saudi records: 1,726 prohibited, 364 restricted.
  • The regulator is the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
  • The lists derive from the GSO Gulf technical regulation for cosmetics, which is modelled on EU 1223/2009.
  • Arabic and English are both published; the lists carry their own dates and are amended separately from the EU annexes.

The Saudi lists will read as familiar to anyone who works with the EU annexes, because the Gulf technical regulation they derive from was modelled on Regulation 1223/2009. Substance identification, the prohibited and restricted split, and much of the wording follow the same pattern.

That familiarity is exactly why the differences deserve attention. The SFDA publishes its lists with their own dates and amends them on its own schedule, so alignment with the EU is a starting position rather than a standing guarantee. A substance recently added to Annex II is not thereby prohibited in Saudi Arabia, and a Saudi entry may carry a limit the EU does not.

Product registration is a separate requirement. Cosmetic products need notification to the SFDA before being placed on the market, and that process asks questions this list does not answer.

Both the Arabic and English publications are available. Where they differ, the Arabic is the one a Saudi regulator reads.

Checked against

Official ingredient records

1726 matching records
ProhibitedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Reaction products of paraformaldehyde with 2-hydroxypropylamine (1:1)); [formaldehyde released from a,a,a-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-1,3,5(2H,4H,6H)-triethanol]; [HPT] if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the source, in the mixture as placed on the market is = 0,1 % w/w

Reaction products of paraformaldehyde with 2-hydroxypropylamine (1:1)); [formaldehyde released from a,a,a-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-1,3,5(2H,4H,6H)-triethanol]; [HPT] if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the

Listed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority as prohibited in cosmetic products.

Source:SFDA prohibited list, page 161, row 2 · version live-snapshot-2026-08-30 · source checked 2026-08-30

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ProhibitedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Reaction products of paraformaldehyde with 2-hydroxypropylamine (3:2); [formaldehyde released from 3,3'-methylenebis[5–methyloxazolidine]; [formaldehyde released from oxazolidin]; [MBO] if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde, irrespective of the source, in the mixture as placed on the market is = 0,1 % w/w

Reaction products of paraformaldehyde with 2-hydroxypropylamine (3:2); [formaldehyde released from 3,3'-methylenebis[5–methyloxazolidine]; [formaldehyde released from oxazolidin]; [MBO] if the maximum theoretical concentration of releasable formaldehyde,

Listed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority as prohibited in cosmetic products.

Source:SFDA prohibited list, page 161, row 1 · version live-snapshot-2026-08-30 · source checked 2026-08-30

View full record
ProhibitedBinding ruleOriginal is EnglishOfficial-source import checked

Safrole, except for normal content in the natural essences used and provided that the concentration does not exceed: 100 ppm in the finished cosmetic product, 50 ppm in products for dental and oral hygiene, and provided that Safrole is not present in toothpastes intended specifically for children

Safrole, except for normal content in the natural essences used and provided that the concentration does not exceed: 100 ppm in the finished cosmetic product, 50 ppm in products for dental and oral hygiene, and provided that Safrole is not present in toot

CAS 94-59-7

Listed by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority as prohibited in cosmetic products.

Source:SFDA prohibited list, page 37, row 2 · version live-snapshot-2026-08-30 · source checked 2026-08-30

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Market coverage contract

Complete official list index
Included scope
Every page and entry in the public SFDA prohibited and restricted ingredient indexes; restricted detail pages remain the source for conditions.
If no match is found
No list match is not permission; Gulf/SFDA product, claim, notification and technical requirements still apply.

Complete verification checklist

  1. Search names and CAS across both SFDA lists.
  2. Open the cited restricted-entry detail and apply every condition.
  3. Check current SFDA/GSO technical regulations and updates.
  4. Complete eCosma notification, label and responsible-party requirements.

Official sources and legal role

Saudi SFDA prohibited and restricted ingredient lists

Prohibited and restricted substances with CAS, EC and conditions

Legal meaning: Official SFDA dated lists; version and hash each release

Available language: English

What this market page can answer

Source and authority

Identify the official material and the regulator responsible for it: Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

Language and scope

See whether usable English or bilingual material exists and what the mapped source actually covers. Current source language: Arabic and 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

  1. Search the ingredient by INCI name, CAS number or EC number and record the exact identity.
  2. Open each official source above and check the current version, product scope, concentration limits and required warnings.
  3. Confirm effective dates and whether an English text is official, reviewed or only contextual.
  4. Treat a missing local match as unknown, never as permission or a safety conclusion.
Screen an INCI listSearch ingredientsReview source methodology