LITHIUM HYDROXIDE
Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 15512
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
LITHIUM HYDROXIDE: Allowed with restrictions, with limits depending on the product type (Annex III, entry 15b), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Annexes of the Regulation consulted on 21 October 2026.
Who it concerns
What official classifications and rules say for each group. A classification describes the hazard of the pure substance, not the risk of a product that contains it, which depends on the dose and the exposure.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No official classification covers reproduction, the unborn child's development or breastfeeding for this substance.
Babies and children
Annex III, entry 15b, sets a condition for children: “Keep out of reach of children”
Skin, eyes and allergies
No official classification for sensitisation, irritation or eye damage, and no obligation to label it as an allergen.
Environment
No official classification as hazardous to the aquatic environment and no assessment as an endocrine disruptor for the environment.
In plain words
What it is used for
Functions declared by manufacturers:
Buffering: stabilises the pH of cosmetics.
Hair waving or straightening: modifies the chemical structure of the hair, allowing it to be set in the style required.
What the rules say
Allowed, with restrictions: Annex III sets a maximum concentration, the product types allowed and a warning to be printed on the packaging. Ingredient lists do not give quantities, so the concentration cannot be checked on the label; the warning can.
The text of the annexes
Allowed with restrictions
| Product type | Maximum concentration | Other conditions | Warning to print |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Hair straightener | 1. 2% (6) 2. 4.5% (6) | 1. General use 2. Professional use | 1. Contains alkali Avoid contact with eyes Can cause blindness Keep out of reach of children 2. Avoid contact with eyes Can cause blindness |
| (b) pH ajuster for depilatories | not set | pH < 12.7 | Contains alkali Keep out of reach of children Avoid contact with eyes |
| (c) Other uses as pH ajuster (for rinse-off products only) | not set | pH < 11 | not set |
- Entry
- Annex III, No 15b
- Substance
- Lithium hydroxide
- Glossary names
- LITHIUM HYDROXIDE
- CAS
- 1310-65-2
- EC
- 215-183-4
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
- 35038
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 1310-65-2
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 215-183-4
- Declared functions
- Buffering, Hair waving or straightening
- Wikidata
- Q407613
- PubChem
- 3939
- ECHA InfoCard
- 100.013.804
- InChIKey
- WMFOQBRAJBCJND-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Elsewhere in the world
Information on other jurisdictions, with no effect on sale in France. What is covered, and what is not yet.
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
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
- Restricted: 리튬하이드록사이드 (LITHIUM HYDROXIDE)
별표 2, 기타 (other substances with limits), entry 19, page 29. Limit: ․헤어스트레 이트너 제품에 4.5% ․제모제에서 pH조정 목적으로 사용되는 경우 최종 제품의 pH는 12.7이하.
Conditions, source text, in Korean
비고: 기타 제품에는 사용금지
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
3 recorded products list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (in French).
Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.