What changes
4-MBC, a UVB filter previously allowed at up to 4%, was reviewed for potential endocrine-disrupting effects; the SCCS could not confirm its safety. Regulation 2024/996 deleted it from Annex VI and added it to Annex II, so it is now prohibited in all cosmetics, including sunscreens and day creams with SPF. Since 1 May 2026 no product containing 4-MBC may be sold in the EU. The same regulation also tightened the rules for triclosan and triclocarban (fully applicable since 1 November 2025).
Key dates
| Published | 4 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Entry into force | 24 April 2024 |
| Cannot be placed on the market from | 1 May 2025 |
| Cannot be made available (sold) from | 1 May 2026 |
Verified against the Official Journal (OJ L, 2024/996, 4.4.2024). Dates are the days from which the bans apply, as written in the act: no placing on the market from 1 May 2025, no making available from 1 May 2026. Fully applicable.
Affected ingredients
Products in our database containing these ingredients
3 products in INCIMondo contain at least one of these ingredients.
This is a consumer-oriented summary, not legal advice. Only the text published in the Official Journal of the EU is legally binding.