Red flag
Cancer classification Chemical of concern Restricted in the EU
- What it can be used for
- Absorbs oil or water, adds bulk, helps the product glide, keeps powders loose, makes the product opaque, protects skin and scrubs or polishes (the functions the EU ingredient database, CosIng, lists for it; a product may use it for any of them)
- CAS number
- 14807-96-6
Why it’s flagged
Classified as a known or probable human carcinogen.
- IARC Group 2A (probably carcinogenic to humans). Source: IARC Monographs list of classifications
IARC Group 1 means carcinogenic to humans, Group 2A probably carcinogenic. EU Carc. 1A means known, 1B presumed to cause cancer in humans. These describe a hazard, not the risk at the amount in one product.
Listed as a chemical of concern by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
- “Talc”. Source: Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is an advocacy group. Its profiles explain why it considers these ingredients a concern.
Allowed in EU cosmetics only with limits.
- Annex III entry 59; products: (a) Powdery products intended to be used for children under 3 years of age; (b) Other products; required warning: (a) Keep powder away from children's nose and mouth. Source: EU Cosmetics Regulation, Annex III (restricted)
Annex III (restricted substances) or Annex V (preservatives) of the EU Cosmetics Regulation sets maximum amounts, allowed product types or required warnings.
What this page can’t tell you
These lists describe what a substance can do, its hazard. The risk from one product depends on how much is in it and how you use it, and the label doesn’t say how much.
Not being on a list doesn’t make an ingredient safe. It may never have been assessed.
Check your products
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“Products that list it” opens Open Beauty Facts, a free database anyone can edit.
Flagged the same way
Official lists checked September 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.