SCCS Sets Conditional Limits for Heliotropin and Acetophenone in Cosmetics
The SCCS finalized safety limits for heliotropin (up to 1.8% in adult fine fragrances) and acetophenone (0.01% for adults and children 3+), with heliotropin's compliance timeline tied to EU rulemaking sequencing.
Key figures
- Safe concentration of heliotropin for adult use
- 1.8 percent cosmetic.chemlinked.com
- Safe maximum level of acetophenone for adults and children aged three and older
- 0.01 percent health.ec.europa.eu
- Safe maximum level of acetophenone (equivalent to 0.01 percent)
- 100 parts per million health.ec.europa.eu
The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has closed out its review of two fragrance and flavoring ingredients, finalizing safety assessments that set conditional ceilings for how much of each substance can appear in cosmetics sold across the EU.
Heliotropin, a sweet-smelling compound used in fine fragrances, was found safe for adult use at concentrations up to 1.8 percent. The SCCS opinion stops short of a clean approval, however: regulatory sign-off still depends on a separate, ongoing analysis of alternative substances that could substitute for heliotropin in formulations. Whether manufacturers face a near-term or distant compliance deadline will depend on timing outside the committee's control, specifically whether the 24th Adaptation to Technical Progress to the CLP Regulation is published before or after the European Commission's Chemicals Simplification Omnibus, expected in early 2027.
That sequencing matters for brands planning reformulations. If the ATP lands first, heliotropin's new restrictions could take effect under the existing classification framework. If the Omnibus, which is intended to streamline and consolidate EU chemicals rules, arrives first, the same restriction could be folded into a broader simplification package with different transition periods. Cosmetics Alliance Canada flagged the overlap as a detail formulators and compliance teams will need to track closely over the coming months.
Acetophenone received a more tightly bounded opinion. The SCCS set its safe maximum level at 0.01 percent, or 100 parts per million, in products used by both adults and children aged three and older. That allowance carries a condition: the acetophenone must be derived from a Natural Complex Substance rather than produced synthetically, tying the safety finding to sourcing as much as to concentration.
The distinction between synthetic and naturally derived acetophenone leaves manufacturers with a narrower formulation path than the concentration limit alone would suggest, since sourcing documentation will likely become part of any compliance file submitted alongside the 100 ppm threshold.
