REGAFFAIRS AI
ANSWERS · 4 OCT 2026

Is zinc pyrithione allowed in rinse-off cosmetic products in the EU and in Great Britain? Give the Annex entry and any restriction, with sources.

No. Zinc pyrithione cannot be used in rinse-off cosmetic products in either the EU or Great Britain. Both list it in Annex II (prohibited substances) of the Cosmetics Regulation, with no concentration limit, no product-type carve-out and no exception for rinse-off products.

EU (Reg. (EC) No 1223/2009, consolidated text 02009R1223-20260501)GB (retained Reg. 1223/2009, legislation.gov.uk text dated 15 July 2026)
Annex entryAnnex II, ref. 1670: "Pyrithione zinc; (T-4)-bis[1-(hydroxy-κO)pyridine-2(1H)-thionato-κS]zinc", CAS 13463-41-7, EC 236-671-3 [1]Annex II, ref. 1669 (same substance, CAS and EC numbers); amending SIs listed: S.I. 2022/659, 2024/1334, 2026/23 [2]
RestrictionTotal ban (Annex II)Total ban (Annex II)
Related entryAnnex III ref. 24 (water-soluble zinc salts, max 1% as zinc) expressly excludes zinc pyrithione and points to Annex II. The consolidated text still reads "entry X" there [3]Annex III ref. 24 has the same exclusion, pointing to "Annex 2, entry 1669" [4]

The Annex II reference numbers differ between the two texts (1670 in the EU, 1669 in GB), so cite each one separately in dossiers.

How the EU got here (Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1902)

  • Earlier permitted uses: Zinc pyrithione used to be allowed as a preservative under Annex V entry 8. The limits were 1% in rinse-off hair products and 0.5% in other rinse-off products (not oral hygiene). Annex III entry 101 also allowed it at up to 0.1% in leave-on hair products for non-preservative purposes [5].
  • CMR classification: It was classified as a CMR substance, category 1B (toxic for reproduction). An Article 15(2) exception was requested only for anti-dandruff use in rinse-off hair products at up to 1% [6].
  • Why the exception failed: The SCCS opinion of 3-4 March 2020 found that use safe. However, it had not been shown that no suitable alternatives exist, so the Commission removed zinc pyrithione from Annexes III and V and moved it to Annex II [7][8].
  • Application date: The ban has applied since 1 March 2022 [9].

GB position: I found no zinc pyrithione entry in Annex III or Annex V of the current GB text, so the old preservative and leave-on hair allowances are gone there too. The GB record doesn't say which of the listed SIs added entry 1669 or from what date.

Approach: I searched Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on EUR-Lex (the consolidated text and the amending acts) and the GB retained version on legislation.gov.uk. I didn't search the CosIng database or the GB SAG-CS opinions.

SOURCES · 9

  1. [1]Pyrithione zinc; (T-4)- bis[1-(hydroxy-.kappa.O)pyridine-2(1H)- thionato-.kappa.S]zinc (Annex ref 1670) [Cosmetics 02009R1223-20260501] · p.1EU
  2. [2]Pyrithione zinc; (T-4)- bis[1-(hydroxy-.kappa.O)pyridine-2(1H)- thionato-.kappa.S]zinc (Annex II ref 1669) · p.1UK
  3. [3]Water-soluble zinc salts with the exception of zinc 4- hydroxy-benzenesulphonate (entry 25) and zinc pyrithione (Annex II, entry X) (Annex ref 24) [Cosmetics 02009R1223-20260501] · p.1EU
  4. [4]Water-soluble zinc salts with the exception of zinc 4- hydroxy-benzenesulphonate (entry 25) and Pyrithione zinc (Annex 2, entry 1669) (Annex III ref 24) · p.1UK
  5. [5]Recital 6 [Cosmetics 32021R1902] · p.1EU
  6. [6]Recital 5 [Cosmetics 32021R1902] · p.1EU
  7. [7]Recital 8 [Cosmetics 32021R1902] · p.1EU
  8. [8]Pyrithione zinc; (T-4)- bis[1-(hydroxy-.kappa.O)pyridine-2(1H)- thionato-.kappa.S]zinc (Annex ref 1670) [Cosmetics 32021R1902] · p.1EU
  9. [9]Article 2 [Cosmetics 32021R1902] · p.1EU
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