Certo Regulatory Watch · Weekly cosmetics & personal care regulatory briefing · Edition of 30 August 2026 · covering 23–30 August 2026 · EU · UK · USA · China · Japan · South Korea · ASEAN · Australia · GCC · Andean Community · Mercosur + cross-cutting topics. Every item links to a dated source; items marked "to be confirmed" are pending confirmation in the official text.

This is a deadline-stacking week rather than a new-law week. Six consultations and effective dates land in the next 30 days (AICIS 1 Sep, China NIFDC 7 Sep, Korea MFDS 18 Sep, Thai e-labelling 19 Sep, EU green-claims ban 27 Sep, EU silver draft 28 Sep). The structural development is in the US: Illinois has enacted a 24-ingredient cosmetics ban (effective 1 July 2028) and Virginia's identical ban is already in force since 1 July 2026 — joining California, Maryland and Washington with the same list, so one reformulation now covers four states.

🚨 Top developments this week

(sorted by urgency and actionability — 🚨 = due within a month or blocking)

• 🚨 [USA] Virginia's 24-ingredient cosmetics ban is already in force (1 Jul 2026); Illinois enacted the same list, effective 1 Jul 2028 — Who: every brand, importer or retailer selling cosmetics in Virginia (now) and Illinois (2028); the list is identical to CA AB 2762 / MD / WA · Action: screen formulas for the 24 intentionally-added substances — dibutyl phthalate, DEHP, formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde, methylene glycol, quaternium-15, mercury, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, m- and o-phenylenediamine and their salts, plus 13 named PFAS (PFOS and its K/DEA/NH4/Li salts, PFOA and NH4 salt, PFDA and NH4/Na salts, PFNA and Na/NH4 salts); a "technically unavoidable trace" exemption applies · Deadline: Virginia — in force; Illinois — 1 Jul 2028 — Status: Adopted / In force · Illinois HB 3409, signed 10 Jul 2026 as Public Act 104-0545; Virginia HB 122, 2026 Acts c. 910, Va. Code §§ 59.1-574.1–574.2 · sources: ILGA Public Act 104-0545, Va. Code Title 59.1 ch. 52, Beveridge & Diamond, 3 Aug, ChemLinked (VA)
• 🚨 [Australia] AICIS 2026-27 fee changes take effect 1 September; the revised Categorisation Guidelines commence in September — Who: anyone introducing cosmetic ingredients under AICIS (exempted / reported / assessed categories) · Action: re-run categorisation against the revised high-hazard chemical lists before filing any introduction from September onwards (per AICIS's consultation: 249 chemicals added + 5 added to the developmental-toxicity part, 121 entries updated, 2 removed); file pending assessment-certificate applications before the fee change (registration levies rebalanced, most assessment fees +3–13%) · Deadline: fees — 1 Sep 2026; revised Guidelines — September 2026 (exact commencement date to be confirmed on AICIS's announcement) — Status: Adopted · sources: AICIS consultation page, AICIS — changes coming September 2026, GPC Gateway
• 🚨 [China] NIFDC consultation on 9 draft standards closes 7 September — with significant ingredient changes proposed — Who: formulators using chelating agents (trisodium NTA), NMP-type solvents, the insect-repellent ester IR3535, kojic acid, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, or colorants CI 42090 / 42520 / 19140 in hair dyes · Action: check formulas against the drafts and file comments via NIFDC's standards system before the deadline · Deadline: 7 Sep 2026 — Status: Consultation · reported scope (per CIRS' analysis, to be confirmed in the final texts): trisodium nitrilotriacetate, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535) reported as proposed prohibitions (though the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone draft may instead be a test-method standard); kojic acid restricted to max 1% in face and hand products; a labelling rule for formaldehyde-releaser products; hair-dye restriction entries for CI 42090 (Acid Blue 9), CI 42520 (Basic Violet 2) and CI 19140 (tartrazine); plus a new skin-sensitisation test method · sources: NIFDC notice, 6 Aug, CIRS, 12 Aug
• 🚨 [South Korea] MFDS proposes accepting in-vitro SPF/PA testing — two draft notices, comments due 18 September — Who: sunscreen manufacturers and importers, functional-cosmetics filers, responsible persons · Action: assess whether your SPF/PA substantiation can transition to ISO-validated in-vitro data, and check whether your reformulations still qualify for simplified review; file comments · Deadline: 18 Sep 2026 — Status: Consultation · (a) the Functional Cosmetics Review Regulation amendment (Notice 2026-409) accepts ISO in-vitro data for SPF/PA review and narrows the simplified-review exemption to reformulations with identical actives where fragrance/preservative/colourant changes stay below 1%; (b) the Labelling & Advertising Substantiation Regulation amendment allows in-vitro data to substantiate SPF/PA claims alongside human testing · sources: MFDS draft notice 44290, MFDS draft notice 44291
• 🚨 [Thailand] Draft notification on voluntary digital (e-)labelling — comments due 19 September — Who: all cosmetic notifiers and brand owners in Thailand · Action: review whether a reduced 7-item physical label plus a full digital label would work for your packs; comment via the Thai FDA · Deadline: 19 Sep 2026 — Status: Consultation (draft released 21 Aug) · would supplement the 2019 labelling rules with an optional digital route: the physical label drops from 11 to 7 mandatory items when the full information remains continuously accessible via a QR-type link; the first e-labelling framework in ASEAN, aligned with the ICCR e-labelling principles (see Global) · source: ChemLinked, 24 Aug
• 🚨 [EU] Generic environmental-claims ban (ECGT Directive 2024/825) applies 27 September — four weeks out — Who: every brand and retailer marketing in the EU, existing stock included · Action: finish auditing "eco / green / sustainable / natural" claims on packs, product pages and ads; substantiate, qualify or remove non-compliant claims · Deadline: 27 Sep 2026 — Status: Adopted · sources: Directive 2024/825, COSlaw.eu, 21 Aug
• 🚨 [EU] Draft regulation easing the Omnibus VIII silver restriction — comments to 28 September, retroactive application from 1 May 2026 proposed — Who: brands using Silver (CAS 7440-22-4) powder in oral care, skin or nail products (including CI 77820 as a colorant) · Action: if you withdrew or reformulated silver products under Reg. (EU) 2026/78, model the proposed limits and consider commenting; until adoption, the current limits (toothpaste/mouthwash only, 0.05%) still apply · Deadline: WTO-TBT comments 28 Sep 2026; adoption expected Q4 2026 — Status: Proposal (notified to the WTO 30 Jul 2026) · proposed Annex III entry: rinse-off 0.2%, oral products 0.2% (children's mouthwash 0.05%), leave-on 0.3%, nail products 0.3%; Annex IV CI 77820 leave-on/nail 0.3%; inhalation-exposure uses excluded; follows the SCCS revised advice (26 Mar 2026) that micron-sized silver does not penetrate skin · sources: COSlaw.eu, 3 Aug, Complife, 25 Aug

🌍 By geography

🇪🇺 European Union

• 🔴 🚨 ECGT green-claims ban (27 Sep) and 🟠 🚨 silver draft (comments 28 Sep) — see Top developments.
• 🟠 Four SCCS mandates are now in the pipeline for fragrance and active ingredients — (a) Cuminaldehyde (CAS 122-03-2) and p-Cymene (CAS 99-87-6) — mandates of 30 Jul 2026: after ECHA's RAC recommended Repr. 1B classification (a ban trigger under Art. 15(2) once the CLP update applies), the SCCS is asked whether industry's proposed maximum levels as constituents of natural complex substances (essential oils such as cumin, thyme, oregano) are safe; opinions due within 9 months (≈ Apr 2027). (b) Cyclamen Aldehyde (CAS 103-95-7) — mandate of 8 Jun 2026 (published 10 Jun), same Repr. 1B background; the SCCS is asked whether the proposed use levels (reported ~0.4% in perfumes, ~0.2% in body lotion — per the mandate) are safe; opinion due within 9 months (≈ March 2027). (c) Phytonadione Epoxide / Vitamin K1 oxide (CAS 25486-55-9) — mandate of 25 Jun 2026, following a call for data closed in May, after repeated allergic contact dermatitis cases (including severe and photo-induced reactions, mostly linked to eye-contour products); the SCCS is asked whether use up to 1% is safe, considering exposure across all age groups in leave-on products such as eye-contour creams and anti-ageing serums; opinion due within 12 months (≈ June 2027). Note that Vitamin K1 itself is already banned (Annex II). — Mandates adopted · sources: SCCS request — Cuminaldehyde, SCCS request — p-Cymene, SCCS request — Cyclamen Aldehyde, EC call for data — Phytonadione Epoxide
• 🟠 Climbazole — Belgium submits a harmonised-classification (CLH) proposal: Aquatic Acute/Chronic 1 + endocrine disruptor for the environment (ED ENV 1) — Who: anti-dandruff shampoo and hair-lotion makers (Annex V/32 preservative 0.2–0.5%; Annex III/310 up to 2% in rinse-off anti-dandruff) · Action: watch for the ECHA consultation; an ED ENV 1 classification would put climbazole in line for endocrine-disruptor treatment under the coming Cosmetics Regulation revision · dossier submitted 19 Aug. — Proposal · CosmeticOBS
• 🟢 Sorbic Acid (CAS 110-44-1) — Germany registers a CLH intention (Skin Irrit. 2, Eye Irrit. 2, Skin Sens. 1B) — not a CMR classification, so no cosmetics ban trigger; the impact is on raw-material safety-data sheets and labelling. — Intention · CosmeticOBS
• 🟢 CLP alignment with UN GHS Rev. 8–11 — notified to the WTO (G/TBT/N/EU/1234), comments to 16 Oct 2026 — finished cosmetics remain outside CLP scope; the impact is on raw-material SDS and labels (chemicals under pressure, revised precautionary statements, non-animal skin corrosion/irritation data provisions, skin-sensitising mixtures). — Proposal · National Law Review, 27 Aug
• 🟢 France — skin-lightening cream "Advanced Beauty Cream – Pearl Shine – Parley Goldie" recalled for mercury (a substance prohibited under Annex II); all lots withdrawn nationwide. — Enforcement · RappelConso, 28 Aug
• 🟢 No new amendment to the Cosmetics Regulation annexes this week — the most recent remain Reg. (EU) 2026/909 and its corrigendum; the "Omnibus+" comment period still closes 6 Sep.