Cosmetic Regulations

This section covers international standards, ingredient safety laws, product labeling, and emerging regulatory trends—helping you ensure your products meet all legal and market-entry criteria. Ideal for brands, developers, and consultants seeking clear guidance on regulatory challenges and opportunities.

TPO Ban – How Worried Should You Be?

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Beautiful nails achieved by UV hardening

The European Union ban on TPO (Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide) in nail products is making headlines and getting plenty of attention, especially from papers like the Daily Mail, who never miss a chance for a good scare story. Is it time for fans of well manicure nails to panic?

What is TPO and why is it banned?

TPO is a photoinitiator used in gel nail polishes. It helps the product set hard and stay glossy for longer when it’s cured under UV light. In September 2025, the EU made it official: TPO is banned from all cosmetic products, citing animal studies that suggested large doses could harm fertility in rats. No human studies showed the same risk, and typical use in nail products sees TPO locked in the cured gel, not floating around to be absorbed.

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Changes To General Product Liability Regulations in EU and UK

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General Product Liability is a catchall term for anything that doesn’t have its own set of regulations. Cosmetics do, of course, have their own regulations. But a lot of cosmetic companies also make products that aren’t strictly cosmetics – things like scrubbing brushes, room sprays and false eyelashes, for a few cases. There are a few things that seem to be candidates to be cosmetics, medicines or nothing in particular.  Nobody seems to have worked out what intimate products are, for example – and I’ve seen them on the same shelf with different brands opting for different regulatory regimes. 

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Prostaglandin analogues for eyelash growth – do they work; are they dangerous?

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Prostaglandins are used in eyelash serums to promote eyelash growth
Prostaglandins are used in eyelash serums to promote eyelash growth

Prostaglandins are one of the body’s messengers that regulate various activities that keep us functioning effectively. They pop up all over the place, but one that’s particularly interesting to a lot of people is that there are prostaglandins that control the rate of hair growth.

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The New EU Allergen List

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Woman looking at Cosmetic and personal care ingredients

What’s Changing and Why?

The EU has issued a new Cosmetic allergen list

Until recently, EU law required cosmetic products to list 24 specific fragrance allergens on their packaging if they were present above very low levels. These rules were designed to help people who are sensitive to certain ingredients avoid products that might cause them problems. However, as our understanding of allergies has improved, it’s become clear that more substances can cause reactions than were previously listed.

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