The text, known as Omnibus VI Chemistry, reflects a political compromise reached by Parliament, the Council, and the Commission on June 17, 2026. It forms part of a broader series of measures aimed at simplifying business operations. Less ambitious than the Commission’s initial proposal, it was approved by MEPs in a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, with 477 votes in favour, 59 against, and 41 abstentions.
Greater flexibility
Rather than the current 18-month period, the text introduces staggered deadlines for withdrawing products containing substances classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR) from the market.
When a substance is banned or restricted and the manufacturer does not seek an exemption, the company will have six months to stop placing the product on the market and twelve months to sell off existing stocks.
However, beauty companies may also apply for an exemption from a scientific committee. Such requests must be submitted within three months of the new CMR classification taking effect.
If the experts deem the product unsafe, manufacturers will have three months to stop marketing it and nine months to remove it from store shelves.
If the product is considered safe but suitable alternatives are available, companies may continue marketing it for two years and will have three years to clear it from store shelves.
The new rules therefore give the cosmetics industry greater flexibility, although the deadlines are shorter than those initially proposed by the European Commission.
Oral CMRs remain banned
Brussels had initially considered differentiating between CMRs according to their intended use, potentially allowing carcinogenic substances in products applied to the skin even when they were prohibited in products intended for oral use or inhalation. Both the European Parliament and member states opposed this approach.
“The European institutions managed to avoid the worst, as the final agreement drops the most problematic elements of the initial proposal,” said Agustín Reyna of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), a federation of consumer associations.
However, “this agreement means that toothpastes, deodorants, and lipsticks containing toxic ingredients will remain in people’s homes for longer. This is bad news, given that more than four in five European consumers are concerned about the impact of harmful chemicals on their health and the environment,” he stressed.
The text still requires formal adoption by the Council. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
