Compoatlas

COAL TAR

Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 7048

COAL TAR: Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II, entry 420), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.

In plain words

What it is used for

Functions declared by manufacturers:

Anti-seborrheic: helps control sebum production.

Antimicrobial: helps control the growth of micro-organisms on the skin.

Denaturant: renders cosmetics unpalatable. Mostly added to cosmetics containing ethyl alcohol.

What the rules say

It is prohibited to use it in a cosmetic product sold in the European Union, whatever the dose. If it appears on the ingredient list of a recent product, this needs checking: the record may be old or wrong, or the product intended for another market.

Hazard and risk

The CLP Regulation classifies this substance as carcinogenic, category 1A (known effect in humans).

This classification describes what the substance can cause (a hazard), not what happens when using a product (a risk): the risk depends on the dose, the form and the route of exposure (skin, inhalation, ingestion).

Already prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II).

The text of the annexes

Prohibited in cosmetics

CosIng links the name COAL TAR to this Annex II entry.

Entry
Annex II, No 420
Substance
Crude and refined coal tars
CAS
8007-45-2
EC
232-361-7
Dates in the act (10)
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2010
  • Application from 1 December 2010
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 1 December 2010
  • Condition applicable from 11 January 2012
    As from 11 January 2012, by way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, notification carried out in accordance with Article 13 of this Regulation shall be considered to comply with Article 7(3) and Article 7a(4) of that Directive
  • Application from 11 January 2013
    July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall apply from 11 January 2013.
  • Entry into force on 11 January 2013
  • Application from 11 July 2013
    It shall apply from 11 July 2013, with the exception of: — Article 15(1) and (2) which shall apply from 1 December 2010, as well as Articles 14, 31 and 32 to the extent that they are necessary to apply Article 15(1) and (2); and — Article 16(3) second subparagraph, which shall appl
  • Entry into force on 11 July 2013
  • Placing on the market before 11 July 2013
    Article 39 Transitional provisions By way of derogation from Directive 76/768/EEC, cosmetic products which comply with this Regulation may be placed on the market before 11 July 2013.
  • Placing on the market from 11 July 2013
    As from 11 July 2013, a distributor who makes available in a Member State a cosmetic product already placed on the market in another Member State and translates, on his own initiative, any element of the labelling of that product in order to comply with national law, shall submit, by electronic means, the following info

Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.

Identity

CosIng identifier
84505
CAS (according to CosIng)
8007-45-2
EC (according to CosIng)
232-361-7
Declared functions
Anti-seborrheic, Antimicrobial, Denaturant

Classified hazard (CLP Regulation)

A classification describes an intrinsic hazard, not a risk: the risk depends on the dose, the form and the exposure.

Tar, coal; Coal tar; [The by-product from the destructive distillation of coal. Almost black semisolid. A complex combination of aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, nitrogen bases and thiophene.]

CMR Carc. 1A

Hazard classes
Carc. 1A
Hazard statements
H350

Already prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II).

Elsewhere in the world

Information on other jurisdictions. What is covered, and what is not yet.

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

  • Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II)

Same entries as in the European Union. Conditions (concentrations, warnings) may differ: they are not compared here.

Switzerland

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).

United States, federal rules

None of the integrated sections of the federal code (21 CFR 700.11 to 700.27 and 250.250) targets this name. The FDA does not publish a list of allowed ingredients.

South Korea

  • Prohibited: 콜타르 및 정제콜타르 (COAL TAR)

    별표 1 (prohibited substances), entry 722, page 38. Conditions (source text, in Korean): 화학물질명: 콜타르 (CAS No. 8007-45-2)

China

  • Prohibited: 粗制和精制煤焦油 (Crude and refined coal tars （CAS No. 8007-45-2）)

    表1 化妆品禁用原料目录 (prohibited substances, 2021年第74号), entry 447, page 附件2 (.doc) table row 447 ; TID reprint p.18.

Australia

  • Prohibited for the stated use: COAL TAR

    Poisons Standard, Schedule 10 (formerly Appendix C), page 314. Conditions (source text): for cosmetic use other than in therapeutic goods.

Brazil

  • Prohibited: Alcatrões (Coal tar) brutos e refinados

    RDC 529/2021, Anexo (prohibited substances), entry 420, page 16. Conditions (source text, in Portuguese): N° UE: 420

Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.