Ingredient file · Banned

Is formaldehyde banned in cosmetics?

Q: What does EWG Skin Deep say about formaldehyde?

EWG Skin Deep scores formaldehyde 10 out of 10 with robust data, and lists use restrictions as high. Read 23 October 2026.

Yes, in the EU: Annex II lists formaldehyde as a prohibited substance (entry 1577). California, the EU and FDA's named list, read 23 October 2026, with EWG Skin Deep's score.

SlipperSkin finding

Read on 23 October 2026, formaldehyde is prohibited in the EU (Annex II) and banned in California; EWG Skin Deep scores it 10 out of 10.

From the California statute, the EU Cosmetics Regulation as consolidated on 1 May 2026, FDA’s page and EWG’s ingredient page, read 23 October 2026. We report what each says; we do not rate the ingredient.

Is formaldehyde banned in cosmetics?

Yes, in the EU: Annex II lists formaldehyde as a prohibited substance (entry 1577). California bans it from 1 January 2025 (list (a)(3)). FDA's named list does not include it. EWG Skin Deep scores it 10 out of 10 (data: robust).

Formaldehyde: where it standsread 23 October 2026

Filled red marks a ban, blue a restriction, pale an ingredient that list does not name. FDA's page names 11 entries and none is formaldehyde. The EWG row marks its score; a bar shows a range.

What does the EU list say about formaldehyde?

Annex II is the EU's list of prohibited substances. The entries for formaldehyde are in the table below, as printed in the regulation consolidated on 1 May 2026.

Formaldehyde in the EU Cosmetics Regulation, found by CAS number 50-00-0
Where	Annex	Cap, threshold and product type	Condition
Annex II, entry 1577	Prohibited substances	prohibited all cosmetic products	No condition printed in the entry.

Is formaldehyde on California's banned list?

Yes. California's Health and Safety Code section 108980 bans formaldehyde from 1 January 2025 (list (a)(3)), when intentionally added.

What does EWG Skin Deep say about formaldehyde?

EWG’s page gives formaldehyde a hazard score of 10 out of 10 with robust data. Its concerns line reads, in part: Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (high), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low). The use-restrictions concern is high. The score is a hazard score on EWG's own scale; it is not a regulatory status.

Where is this read from?

More ingredient files: Isobutylparaben · Hydroquinone · Dibutyl phthalate · all 66 ingredient files

Method: California's section 108980 and the EU's annexes were read in Chrome on 23 October 2026; EU lookups are by CAS number (50-00-0) across Annexes II, III, V and VI; EWG's page was kept only if its name matched exactly; the PubChem link is the compound the CAS number resolves to. Statutes change and EWG revises pages, nothing here is a safety verdict, and an ingredient that is not on a list is not endorsed.