Clean Beauty Rules: EU Bans, MoCRA and Recalls — 2026-09-19
The EU's new anti-greenwashing directive takes effect on September 27, 2026, forcing cosmetic brands to substantiate all environmental claims or face removal of terms like "eco" and "sustainable." Meanwhile, a US federal judge dismissed a major benzene class action against L’Oréal, and German consumer tests revealed hazardous ingredients in popular hair care products.
Clean Beauty Rules: EU Bans, MoCRA and Recalls — 2026-09-19
Top developments
EU Anti-Greenwashing Directive Takes Effect September 27
The European Commission’s EmpCo Directive (EU) 2024/825 becomes binding on September 27, 2026, prohibiting generic environmental claims such as "eco," "green," or "sustainable" on cosmetics packaging unless backed by certified proof. This rule aims to eliminate misleading sustainability labels and force brands to provide verifiable data for any green marketing. Non-compliant products may be removed from shelves across the EU market.
Judge Dismisses L’Oréal Benzene Class Action
US District Judge Analisa Torres dismissed a class action lawsuit accusing L’Oréal USA of failing to warn consumers about benzene in CeraVe and La Roche-Posay acne products. The ruling stated that federal law preempts the state-law claims, marking a significant legal victory for the beauty giant in ongoing safety litigation regarding benzoyl peroxide formulations.
Öko-Test Finds Hazardous Ingredients in Hair Care
German consumer organization Öko-Test identified problematic substances in 32 hair masks and treatments tested this week. Findings included hormonally active UV filters and strong allergy-triggering preservatives, leading to downgrades for several popular products. This highlights the ongoing gap between marketing claims and ingredient safety in the European mass-market sector.
PFAS Regulations Tighten in France and EU
French regulatory bodies and EU agencies are advancing stricter limits on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in cosmetics. While the broad EU-wide PFAS restriction is still moving through scientific committees, national laws in France are already enforcing tighter thresholds, prompting brands to accelerate reformulation efforts to remove "forever chemicals" from waterproof and long-wear makeup.
Local view
French media outlets L'Info Durable and Alternativi are actively educating consumers on the September 27 greenwashing deadline, warning that vague terms like "bio" and "durable" will be banned without certification. German outlet Watson reports that supermarket shelves are already seeing changes as retailers preemptively remove non-compliant eco-labels from personal care products to avoid penalties under the new EU directive.
Context & numbers
The EmpCo Directive affects all companies selling in the EU, with no grandfathering period for existing stock claims if they violate the new substantiation rules. In the US, MoCRA compliance remains a key hurdle, with FDA facility registration renewals and product listing audits currently driving enforcement actions against smaller brands.
On the radar
- September 27, 2026: Hard deadline for EU EmpCo Directive enforcement on all environmental claims.
- Q4 2026: Expected release of final FDA guidance on MoCRA GMP standards.
- October 2026: Anticipated ECHA opinion updates on microplastic restrictions in rinse-off cosmetics.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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