EU adopts staggered phase-out schedule for cosmetics containing hazardous CMR chemicals
The European Parliament approved new rules that give cosmetics makers longer, staggered deadlines to withdraw products with carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive-toxic substances.
On October 22, the European Parliament formally adopted the Omnibus VI Chemistry package, which revises EU rules on hazardous ingredients in cosmetics. The compromise, reached with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, replaces the uniform 18-month withdrawal period with staggered deadlines: six months to halt sales and twelve months to sell off stock when no exemption is sought. Companies may apply for an exemption within three months of a new CMR classification, after which a scientific committee decides the timeline—ranging from three months to stop marketing unsafe products to a two-year marketing window for safe items with alternatives.
The final deadlines are shorter than the Commission’s original proposal, and the legislation rejects a previously considered distinction between oral and skin-applied CMRs. Consumer advocate Agustín Reyna of BEUC praised the avoidance of the worst provisions but cautioned that toxic ingredients will remain in everyday products such as toothpaste and lipstick for longer, a concern for the majority of European consumers.
Why it matters
The new EU rules change how quickly harmful chemicals can be removed from cosmetics, affecting consumer safety and industry costs across Europe.
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