Ingredient Index

Is Formaldehyde banned in Europe?

Banned in EU

Yes: formaldehyde is prohibited as an ingredient in EU cosmetics, and products releasing more than 10 ppm from donor preservatives must carry a "releases formaldehyde" warning; the US has no federal cosmetics ban, though an FDA proposal targeting hair-smoothing products is pending.

CAS: 50-00-0 Also seen as: Methanal, Formalin

What the EU does

Banned as an intentional ingredient. Formaldehyde sits on Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (the prohibited list) following its EU classification as a category 1B carcinogen. No EU cosmetic may contain it as an added ingredient, which ended its old uses in nail hardeners.

The system also polices the back door: formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15 before its own ban, imidazolidinyl urea) remain individually regulated, and since Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1181 any finished product releasing more than 0.001% (10 ppm) free formaldehyde must be labeled "releases formaldehyde", a threshold fifty times stricter than the old 0.05% rule.

Citation Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex II; Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1181 (10 ppm labeling threshold)

What the US does

No federal ban. Formaldehyde and its releasers are legal in US cosmetics under the general safety standard, and the highest-exposure use (professional hair-smoothing treatments that release formaldehyde gas when heated) remains on salon shelves. The FDA proposed a rule to ban formaldehyde and methylene glycol in hair-smoothing products in 2023; it has been repeatedly delayed and has not been finalized.

OSHA, not the FDA, has done the most concrete US regulating here, via workplace air-exposure limits that apply to salon workers performing keratin treatments.

Citation FDA proposed rule on formaldehyde in hair smoothing products (pending); OSHA formaldehyde standard, 29 CFR 1910.1048

Products that commonly contain it

Direct formaldehyde is rare on modern labels; exposure comes via releasers and salon treatments:

Keratin and "Brazilian blowout" hair-straightening treatments
Some nail hardeners and polishes (legacy formulas)
Products preserved with DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, or diazolidinyl urea
Eyelash glues

What to look for on a label

You are mostly looking for the releasers, not the word itself:

"DMDM hydantoin," "diazolidinyl urea," "imidazolidinyl urea," "quaternium-15," "sodium hydroxymethylglycinate": all formaldehyde donors
"Releases formaldehyde" warning on EU-market products above 10 ppm
"Formaldehyde-free" claims on hair treatments deserve skepticism; methylene glycol is formaldehyde in water

Or skip the squinting: paste the whole ingredient list into our checker and it flags everything in our database. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Is formaldehyde banned in cosmetics in Europe?

Yes. It is on Annex II of the Cosmetics Regulation as a category 1B carcinogen, and products releasing more than 10 ppm from preservatives must carry a "releases formaldehyde" warning.

Is formaldehyde banned in US cosmetics?

No. An FDA proposed rule would ban it (and methylene glycol) in hair-smoothing products specifically, but it has not been finalized. Other uses are governed only by the general safety standard.

What are formaldehyde releasers?

Preservatives like DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea that slowly release small amounts of formaldehyde to keep products microbe-free. They are legal in both jurisdictions; the EU regulates each one and requires release labeling above 10 ppm.

Why is formaldehyde a concern?

It is a confirmed human carcinogen by inhalation (IARC Group 1) and a potent contact allergen. The realistic cosmetic risk centers on heated salon treatments that aerosolize it, which is exactly the use the FDA's pending proposal targets.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed June 10, 2026 · How we assign statuses