Ingredient file · Restricted

Is thioglycolic acid banned or restricted in cosmetics?

Q: What does EWG Skin Deep say about thioglycolic acid?

EWG Skin Deep scores thioglycolic acid 2 to 6 out of 10 with good data, and lists use restrictions as high. Read 23 October 2026.

Restricted, not banned: the EU permits thioglycolic acid within limits (Annex III, entry 2a), the lowest cap printed being 8% and the highest 11%, depending on the product. 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, thioglycolic acid is restricted by the EU (Annex III) and not listed in California; EWG Skin Deep scores it 2 to 6 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 thioglycolic acid banned in cosmetics?

Restricted, not banned: the EU permits thioglycolic acid within limits (Annex III, entry 2a), the lowest cap printed being 8% and the highest 11%, depending on the product. California does not list it. FDA's named list does not include it. EWG Skin Deep scores it 2 to 6 out of 10 (data: good).

Thioglycolic acid: 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 thioglycolic acid. The EWG row marks its score; a bar shows a range.

What are the EU limits for thioglycolic acid?

The EU does not ban thioglycolic acid; it caps it by product type. The caps below are the annex cells as printed on the EUR-Lex consolidated text of 1 May 2026, with the decimal comma written as a point.

Thioglycolic acid: 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.

Thioglycolic acid in the EU Cosmetics Regulation, found by CAS number 68-11-1
Where	Annex	Cap, threshold and product type	Condition
Annex III, entry 2a as printed: Thioglycolic acid and its salts	Restricted substances	(a) (i) 8 % (ii) 11 % (a) Hair waving or straightening products	(a) (i) General use ready for use pH 7 to 9,5 (ii) Professional use ready for use pH 7 to 9,5 Conditions of use: (a) (b) (c) (d) Avoid contact with eyes Rinse eyes immediately if product comes into contact with them. (a) (c) (d) Wear suitable gloves Warnings to be printed on the label: (a)(i) (b) (c) Contains thioglycolate Follow the instructions Keep out of reach of children (a)(ii) (d) For professional use only Con

Is thioglycolic acid 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 thioglycolic acid?

EWG’s page gives thioglycolic acid a hazard score of 2 to 6 out of 10 with good data. Its concerns line reads, in part: Use restrictions (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low_moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (low), 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: Propylparaben · Butylparaben · Methylparaben · 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 (68-11-1) 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.