The EU is tightening the rules for cosmetic ingredients: Regulation (EU) 2025/877 bans 21 substances classified as CMR.
This applies across the EU single market from 1 September 2025 and is intended to strengthen health protection and legal certainty — much like the EU ban on microplastics in cosmetics, but with a different focus.
What Regulation (EU) 2025/877 changes — and why this is not a “relaxation”
On 12 May 2025, the European Commission tightened the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 through Regulation (EU) 2025/877. From 1 September 2025, cosmetic products containing 21 additional substances classified as CMR may no longer be placed on the market. CMR stands for “carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction”.
According to the source, CMR classification is based on Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. The aim is to exclude these substances from the single market, thereby increasing protection of human health and legal certainty for economic operators.
Technically, this is done through the annexes: the newly prohibited substances are added to Annex II (prohibited substances). At the same time, entries are removed from Annex III when a substance is no longer merely restricted but fully prohibited.
For studio clients, this matters above all because EU rules directly affect the ingredients permitted in everyday products — for example in nail care or skincare treatments at the studio — and therefore what is on the salon shelf.
1 September 2025 deadline: what changes for products on the market
The key date is 1 September 2025: from then on, products containing the 21 newly listed CMR substances may no longer be placed on the market anywhere in the EU. The regulation applies directly in all member states.
One example in the article is “Trimethylbenzoyl Diphenylphosphine Oxide”: according to the article, the substance was previously permitted subject to restrictions (including in artificial nail systems) and is now fully prohibited. According to the source, no exemptions were requested for these substances.
For manufacturers and retailers, this mainly means work on formulations and documentation. The article identifies stock, safety assessments and the Product Information File (PIF) among the areas affected. It refers to an individual legal review for how to handle products already in circulation.
If you use products in your studio or skincare routine, it can help to check ingredients as transparently as possible and interpret changes to the EU framework carefully — especially where clients ask specific questions. We support beauty professionals in understanding EU cosmetics rules and communicating about ingredients clearly and transparently (in the studio and in everyday product use), in a way that fits the particular context — for example, with apparatus-based facial treatments.
Regulation (EU) 2025/877 underlines the EU’s direction of consistently excluding CMR substances from cosmetics. The 1 September 2025 deadline is likely to increase pressure on formulations and documentation, with noticeable effects reaching studios and retailers.