EU lowered the formaldehyde warning threshold, labels will change

Readers who avoid diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin or sodium hydroxymethylglycinate will see more warnings on packs. Commission Regulation EU 2022/1181 changed the labelling rule for preservatives that release formaldehyde. Full compliance became mandatory after sell through for products with the old wording closed on 31 July 2026.

The scientific committee for consumer safety had concluded that the former threshold of 0.05 percent did not protect people already sensitised to formaldehyde against contact dermatitis. From that July date, any finished cosmetic product sold in the EU where total released formaldehyde exceeds 0.001 percent, or 10 ppm, must carry the words releases formaldehyde. The earlier trigger stood fifty times higher, at 0.05 percent or 500 ppm. For a shopper who reads preservative names, the change is concrete. A cream that once carried no warning may now require one.

A second labelling change arrived on the same deadline. 31 July 2026 was the date for placing on the market products that meet the expanded fragrance allergen list under Regulation (EU) 2023/1545. Stock already placed on the market before that date can still be sold through until 31 July 2028.

Brands that sell one formula in both regions face a binary choice. They can keep a formaldehyde releasing system and add the warning to shared packs, even for jars sold in the United States, or they can remove the releaser and rebuild preservation with new testing and sourcing. Botanical formulas do not avoid the issue. A toner with rose water or a tea infusion still needs protection against yeast and mould once water enters the bottle.

Other EU ingredient rules changed on nearby dates. Commission Regulation EU 2026/78 starts on 1 May 2026 and updates Annex V entry 7 to list Sodium o Phenylphenate with o Phenylphenol under one combined limit, after an opinion of 25 October 2024. That same regulation put fifteen substances classed as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction on the prohibited list, with no transition period. Trimethyl borate and N,N methylenediacrylamide were banned from that May date with no sell through allowed.

More changes sit ahead. Commission Regulation EU 2026/909 was published on 28 April 2026. For many affected products, non compliant goods can no longer be placed on the market from 1 January 2027, and remaining stock must clear by 1 July 2028.

In the United States there is no federal ban covering PFAS in cosmetics. The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act told the Food and Drug Administration to review PFAS in cosmetics and publish a safety report by 29 December 2025. State rules now matter more in practice. Minnesota asked makers to report intentionally added PFAS, with the first deadline moved to 1 July 2026. Connecticut asks for reporting and labelling for cosmetics and other goods from 1 July 2026.

What matters is the pack in hand. A US label that newly states releases formaldehyde does not mean formaldehyde was added in that form. It means the finished product is above 10 ppm of released formaldehyde. The warning is meant to help already sensitised shoppers, not to say that all low level exposure is unsafe for everyone. Which exact US products sit above that level is unclear, because public sources lack brand level test results.

Read the back label carefully, then choose based on skin history rather than fear. If formaldehyde sensitivity is known, the new warning plus the longer allergen list make avoidance easier.