Formaldehyde

Ingredients in cosmetic products are strictly regulated, there is a list of banned ingredients in the UK and EU Cosmetics Regulations of over 1500 chemicals. Formaldehyde is one of the chemicals which is not allowed to be added to cosmetic products in the UK and EU.

Certain preservatives, which release very tiny amounts of formaldehyde to kill microbes and keep our products free from contamination, have been carefully studied by independent scientists and confirmed as safe for use in cosmetics. See DMDM Hydantoin (Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives) for more information.

Low levels of formaldehyde are found all around us; for example, in potatoes, cauliflowers and applies. Our breath even contains formaldehyde because it is generated as a result of natural processes in our bodies. A 2014 report from the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) estimates that the human body makes and processes about 50 grams of formaldehyde every day. This is over 100 times more than the highest amount of formaldehyde found to be released from cosmetic product samples during a scientific study.