Zinc Pyrithione. Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1902

Dear partners!

COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2021/1902 was published in Official Journal of the European Union on 29 October 2021 (amending Annexes II, III and V to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the use in cosmetic products of certain substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction).

According to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council provides for a harmonised classification of substances as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) based on a scientific assessment by the Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency, Zinc Pyrithione has been classified as a category 1B carcinogen.

The amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 are based on the classifications of the relevant substances as CMR substances by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1182 and should therefore apply from the same date as those classifications.

Zinc Pyrithione, which has been classified as a category 1B carcinogen according to CLP regulation, will be prohibited for use in cosmetic products from 1 March 2022 and will be added to Annex II (LIST OF SUBSTANCES PROHIBITED IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS of Regulation (EU) 1223/2009.

Companies supplying and manufacturing cosmetics with a zinc pyrithione component distributed in the EU should remove all products with ZPT from the EU market and consider alternative substitutions for the ingredient.

Source publication of Regulation 2021/1902.