Ingredient file · Banned

Is hydroquinone banned in cosmetics?

Q: What does EWG Skin Deep say about hydroquinone?

EWG Skin Deep scores hydroquinone 8 out of 10 with limited data, and lists use restrictions as high. Read 23 October 2026.

Yes, in the EU: Annex II lists hydroquinone as a prohibited substance (entry 1339), with this printed note: with the exception of entry 14 in Annex III. 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, hydroquinone is prohibited in the EU (Annex II); EWG Skin Deep scores it 8 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 hydroquinone banned in cosmetics?

Yes, in the EU: Annex II lists hydroquinone as a prohibited substance (entry 1339), with this printed note: with the exception of entry 14 in Annex III. California's statute does not list it. FDA's named list does not include it. EWG Skin Deep scores it 8 out of 10 (data: limited).

Hydroquinone: 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 hydroquinone. The EWG row marks its score; a bar shows a range.

What does the EU list say about hydroquinone?

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

Hydroquinone: EU capspercent; consolidated 1 May 2026

Each bar is one figure printed in an annex entry (#321 means entry 321); where an entry prints several, the table below shows which product type each applies to.

Hydroquinone in the EU Cosmetics Regulation, found by CAS number 123-31-9
Where	Annex	Cap, threshold and product type	Condition
Annex II, entry 1339	Prohibited substances	prohibited all cosmetic products	With the exception of entry 14 in Annex III
Annex III, entry 14	Restricted substances	0.02% (after mixing for use) artificial nail systems, professional use only	No condition printed in the entry.

Is hydroquinone on California's banned list?

No. It is on neither list (a), in force since 1 January 2025, nor list (b), in force from 1 January 2027, of California's Health and Safety Code section 108980.

What does EWG Skin Deep say about hydroquinone?

EWG’s page gives hydroquinone a hazard score of 8 out of 10 with limited data. Its concerns line reads, in part: Enhanced skin absorption, Use restrictions (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (high), Ecotoxicology (low), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (high), and Occupational hazards (moderate). 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: Quaternium-15 · Mercury · Isopropylparaben · 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 (123-31-9) 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.