Before you buy it. Before you book it. Know the rules.
Is it banned in the UK?
Plain answers about beauty products, ingredients and treatments, each one linked to the official source.
- Official sources
- Dated checks
- GB and NI
Changed recently
Salon poster
Coming up
- Plastic wet wipes: Wales , Northern Ireland , England , Scotland
- Silver: banned in GB cosmetics from
Questions
Ingredients
- Is TPO in gel nails banned?
- Is kojic acid banned in the UK?
- Is hexyl salicylate restricted?
- Is methyl salicylate restricted?
- Is BHT restricted?
- Is silver being banned in cosmetics?
- Is mercury allowed in skin cream?
- Are steroid skin-lightening creams allowed?
- Is retinol banned in the UK?Page coming soon
Plastics
- Are plastic wet wipes being banned?
- Are microbeads banned in the UK?
- What does 'biodegradable' mean on a label?Page coming soon
Claims and returns
Treatments and age limits
Animal testing
- Is animal testing for cosmetics banned in the UK?Page coming soon
- Who owns which beauty brand?Page coming soon
- What does 'cruelty-free' really mean?Page coming soon
No questions match that yet. Try a shorter word, or see what's changed.
GB and Northern Ireland can be different
Northern Ireland follows EU cosmetics rules, so some answers differ between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.