The recently approved European regulations on beauty products' safety will ban some 1370 ingredients in cosmetics' production.
According to the new law, to determine whether a product is to be considered "cosmetic" a case-by-case evaluation must be carried out.

The banned ingredients include arsenic, chlorine, curare, mercury, nicotine, lead, radioactive substances, strychnine, chloroform, coal tar, several hydrocarbons and gases, pitch and many paraffins. The employ of other elements such as ammonia, hydrogen peroxide or silver nitrate is allowed with precise restrictions about destination, concentration and instructions. Furthermore, the regulation lists which dyes, preservatives and UV filters are allowed. As for carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic ingredients, generally already banned, the new rules are even more strict as to allow exceptions.

Regulations are strengthened and extended about the employ of nanomaterials - particles some thousands of times finer than a human hair, and small enough to penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs that are currently present in 5% of cosmetic products. Currently, the EU requires some testing on all cosmetic products, including those without nanoparticles, but the new laws will require even more checks on nanotechnology products. Moreover, a product may be banned whether it is considered harmful for human health.

Ingredient labeling will also be mandatory, while the criteria for claiming a product offers certain benefits will be more strict: destination of use, minimum shelf-life, special precautions and a list of ingredients ordered by weight must be reported. Fake information, denominations, brands or pictures won't be permitted. Common criteria for claiming will be fixed jointly by national governments and the European Commission.

This single regulation comes to replace the 27 sets of national legislation making up the old EU cosmetics directive dating from 1976 - and last updated in 2003. It will be applicable in all member states starting 42 months after it appears in the EU Official Journal, which is expected in the months to come.