eNewsletter
On 2022-04-13, the United Kingdom (UK) notified the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (notification ref: G/TBT/N/GBR/47) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) about their amendments to their Toys (Safety) Regulation 2011 (“the Toys Regulations”) and the Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 ("the Cosmetics Regulations") as applicable in England, Wales and Scotland.
Products covered in the amendment are toys (HS code 95) and cosmetics products (HS code 33), and the amended standard will be titled as The Toys and Cosmetic Products (Restriction of Chemical Substances) Regulations 2022. The objective of this amendment is to revise the permitted use of specific chemicals in order to ensure that only safe toys and cosmetics products can be placed on the UK market.
Rationale for the Changes:
Chemicals for the control are classified in the following three categories:
| No. |
Chemicals |
Cosmetic Regulations |
Toy Regulations |
|
1 |
Carcinogen Mutagen and Reprotoxic substances (CMRs) as classified under GB CLP regulations |
amended to reflect the CLP classification |
- |
|
2 |
Fragrance allergens, used in toys including finger paints and modelling clay |
- |
amended to prohibit the use of these chemicals |
|
3 |
Under the Science Advisory Group-Chemical Safety (SAG-CS) reviews |
permit the use of salicylic acid only in specific instances and prohibit the use of deoxyarbutin |
reduce the permitted limits of aluminium, aniline and formaldehyde |
Major Changes to Toys Regulation:
The existing Toys (Safety) Regulations are amended as follows:
Part 3 (chemical properties) of Schedule 2 (particular safety requirements):
- In the first table at point 11 (prohibited allergic fragrances) after row 55, (treemoss extracts), the following items were inserted:
| No. |
Name of the Allergenic Fragrance |
CAS No. |
|
56 |
Atranol (2,6-Dihydroxy-4-methyl-benzaldehyde) |
526-37-4 |
|
57 |
Chloroatranol (3-Chloro-2,6-Dihydroxy-4-methyl-benzaldehyde) |
57074-21-2 |
|
58 |
Methyl Heptine Carbonate |
111-12-6 |
- In the table at point 13, for the element in the first row, the limits of aluminium are revised as follows:
|
Element |
mg/kg in Dry, Brittle, Powder-like or Pliable Toy Material |
mg/kg in Liquid or Sticky Toy Material |
mg/kg in Scraped-off Toy Material |
|
Aluminium |
2,250 |
560 |
28,130 |
Appendix C to Schedule 2
- At the end of the table (limit values for chemicals used in toys intended for use by children under 36 months) following entries were added:
|
Substance |
CAS No. |
Limit Value |
|
Aniline |
62-53-3 |
|
|
Formaldehyde |
50-00-0 |
|
Effective Date:
Proposed date of adoption:
- 2022-06-15
Proposed dates of entry into force:
- 2022-10-15 (except sections: 2(2)(b) 2(3), 3(2) and 3(5))
- 2022-12-15 (all sections)
References:
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