What happened to the EU retinol ban?
Retinol has long been hailed as a wonder ingredient in skincare.
It can be recommended for everything from treating acne, to getting rid of dark spots, reducing hyperpigmentation, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and more.
However, it has to be approached with relative caution. It can cause irritation, it can leave your skin more sensitive to the sun and in general, and it’s not advised for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
As a result of this, the European Union recently implemented new regulations to control how much retinol is in the cosmetics you buy on the high street.
What do the new regulations say?
The regulations, as formalised in Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996, aim to protect consumer health by setting strict limits on the concentration of retinol in cosmetics.
From November 2025, all new retinol products sold in the EU have to have limited concentrations of retinol (as follows):
- Face products: Maximum of 0.3% retinol equivalent (RE). This includes retinol retinyl acetate, and retinyl palmitate.
- Body Products: Maximum of 0.05% retinol equivalent (RE)
By May 2027, all existing products need to be reformulated or removed from the EU market to comply with the regulations.
Products containing retinol must also include warnings to inform consumers about the risk of overexposure to Vitamin A.
Note: the new EU regulations only apply to products that are sold to the public. It doesn’t cover retinol-based products that are prescribed by a doctor.
Want all the benefits of retinol without the side effects, try our bakuchiol based products.
For more information on Bakuchiol read my blog entry: What's good about Bakuchiol? – Marigold Charms