EU lowers formaldehyde label trigger to 10 parts per million

Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1181 changed the labelling rule for preservatives that release formaldehyde. The scientific committee for consumer safety had found that the earlier threshold of 0.05 percent did not protect people already sensitised to formaldehyde against contact dermatitis. Sell through for products with the earlier wording ended on 31 July 2026, when full compliance became required.

From that date, any finished cosmetic product sold in the EU where total released formaldehyde is above 0.001 percent, or 10 ppm, has to carry the words releases formaldehyde. The earlier cutoff was fifty times higher, at 0.05 percent or 500 ppm. For a reader who scans for diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin or sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, the change is practical. A cream that once shipped without a warning can now require one.

The same deadline carried a second labelling change. 31 July 2026 was the date for placing on the market products that follow the expanded fragrance allergen list under Regulation (EU) 2023/1545. Stock placed on the market before that date may remain available until 31 July 2028.

The option for brands that sell one formula in both regions is binary. Retain a formaldehyde releasing system and add the warning to shared packs, even for jars sold in the United States, or drop the releaser and rebuild preservation with fresh testing and sourcing. Plant extracts avoid this problem no more reliably. A botanical toner with rose water or a tea infusion still requires protection against yeast and mould once water enters the bottle.

Other EU ingredient rules changed on nearby dates. Commission Regulation EU 2026/78 takes effect on 1 May 2026 and revises Annex V entry 7 to list Sodium o-Phenylphenate with o-Phenylphenol under one combined limit, after an opinion dated 25 October 2024. That same regulation moved fifteen substances classed as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction onto the prohibited list, with zero transitional period. Trimethyl borate and N,N methylenediacrylamide were banned from that May date with zero sell through allowed.

More changes sit ahead. Commission Regulation EU 2026/909 appeared in the record on 28 April 2026 with its exact limits attached. For many affected products, non compliant goods can no longer be placed on the market after 1 January 2027, while existing stock must clear by 1 July 2028.

In the United States there is still no federal ban covering PFAS in cosmetics. The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act asked the Food and Drug Administration to assess PFAS in cosmetics and publish a safety report by 29 December 2025. State rules now carry greater force in practice. Minnesota told makers to disclose intentionally added PFAS, with the first deadline pushed to 1 July 2026. Connecticut calls for reporting and labeling for cosmetics and other goods starting 1 July 2026.

What counts is the pack you actually hold. A US label that now says releases formaldehyde does not prove formaldehyde was added directly. It means the finished product tests above 10 ppm of released formaldehyde. The warning is intended to protect already sensitised consumers, not to declare all low level exposure unsafe for all users. It is not known which specific US products exceed that level.

Study the back label carefully, then choose by skin history rather than alarm. If formaldehyde sensitivity is established, the new warning plus the longer allergen list makes avoidance easier.