THE WHAT? The European Parliament and Council have reached a political agreement on the European Commission’s “Omnibus VI” package, introducing changes to cosmetics, chemicals labelling and fertiliser regulations aimed at reducing administrative burdens while maintaining health and environmental protections.
THE DETAILS For the cosmetics sector, the agreement accelerates the phase-out of products containing prohibited carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances compared with the Commission’s original proposal. Companies will generally have six months to stop placing affected products on the market and 12 months to remove them from sale once a ban takes effect. The agreement also rejects proposed exemptions for certain CMR substances and reinstates requirements for cosmetic products containing nanomaterials to be notified to the European Commission before entering the market. In addition, the Commission will develop guidance on alternatives to hazardous ingredients within one year of the legislation entering into force. The broader package also introduces more flexible chemical labelling requirements, including expanded use of digital labels and updated readability standards.
THE WHY? The reforms are designed to simplify compliance requirements and improve regulatory clarity while maintaining high standards of consumer safety and environmental protection. For the cosmetics industry, the changes aim to accelerate the replacement of hazardous substances, support innovation and provide greater certainty around regulatory processes. The European Commission estimates the wider chemicals simplification measures could save the industry at least €363 million annually.
Source: European Parliament
