Lilial ingredient ban comes into force in Great Britain

By Julia Wray | Published: 16-Dec-2022

The ‘making available on the market’ deadline for products containing the fragrance ingredient was 15 December 2022

Cosmetic products containing the fragrance ingredient lilial have now been banned from UK shelves.

Yesterday (15 December 2022), marked the ‘making available on the market’ deadline for goods containing lilial, also known as butylphenyl methylpropional (BMHCA). 

This means that such products must be taken off shelves in the Great British market. 

The BMHCA ban has been in force in the EU and Northern Ireland since 1 March 2022, with the legislative process for BMHCA beginning before the UK left the EU. 

An EU ban on the aromatic molecule, which provides a floral lily-of-the-valley note, was announced by the European Commission in The Official Journal of the European Union on 11 August 2020.

Lilial has been identified as having endocrine-disrupting properties, meaning it can interfere with natural hormone functions and may pose risks to fertility and fetal development.

It is classified as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR) category 1B substance under the EU and GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulations. 

In Great Britain, the phase out dates for lilial-containing cosmetic products were 15 October 2022 as a ‘placing on the market’ deadline; and 15 December for the ‘making available on the market (off-shelf)’ deadline. 

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