MALEIC ANHYDRIDE
MALEIC ANHYDRIDE: no specific rule of the EU Cosmetics Regulation names it. It is neither prohibited nor restricted there, and it is on none of its lists of colorants, preservatives or UV filters. Good to know: classified as a sensitiser (skin and respiratory allergy). CosIng, Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (prohibited substances), Consulted on 23 October 2026.
Official label name (INCIInternational name of cosmetic ingredients: the one printed on the pack. name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 15877
- No specific rule in the Cosmetics Regulation
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.
Prohibition or serious classificationThe text prohibits the substance for this use, or ranks it among the most serious hazards (known or presumed carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic, identified endocrine disruptor).Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment.For informationOfficial information with no condition on a finished product: warning to read, irritation of the pure substance.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No classification harmonised by the European Union covers reproduction, the unborn child or breastfeeding for this substance. This does not mean it has been judged to have no effect during pregnancy.
Babies and children
The Cosmetics Regulation sets no age-related condition for this ingredient.
Skin, eyes and allergies
Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment.
Worth watching Classified under the CLPEU regulation that classifies chemicals by their hazards (EC No 1272/2008). Regulation: skin corrosion, category 1B (Skin Corr. 1B); serious eye damage, category 1 (Eye Dam. 1); respiratory sensitisation, category 1 (Resp. Sens. 1); skin sensitisation, category 1A (Skin Sens. 1A).
Environment
No harmonised classification as hazardous to the aquatic environment, and it is not on ECHAEuropean Chemicals Agency.'s Candidate List as an endocrine disruptor for the environment.
Read on the label
The Cosmetics Regulation requires no warning to be printed for this ingredient.
Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP), consolidated version, Annex VI table 3, retrieved 21 October 2026.
In plain words
What it is used for
Functions declared by manufacturers:
Film forming: Forms a continuous film on skin, hair or nails after application.
Produces, upon application, a continuous film on skin, hair or nails.
Functions declared in the CosIngThe European Commission's database of cosmetic ingredients. inventory. CosIng, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (INCI names, CAS, EC, functions), retrieved 21 October 2026.
Definitions of functions (decision repealed on 8 May 2020, cited for information). Decision 2006/257/EC, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (definitions of functions), retrieved 22 October 2026.
What the rules say
No EU rule targets this ingredient specifically. It remains subject to the general rule: every product must undergo a safety assessment before it is sold (Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009), under the manufacturer's responsibility.
What we know about this ingredient
What it is used for
Film forming
Forms a continuous film on skin, hair or nails after application.
Produces, upon application, a continuous film on skin, hair or nails.Decision 2006/257/EC, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (definitions of functions), retrieved 22 October 2026.
CosIng, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (INCI names, CAS, EC, functions), retrieved 21 October 2026.
Consumer uses
IntermediateConsumer uses
Not Known or Reasonably AscertainableConsumer uses
Stabilizing agentMolecule occurring naturally in plants or organisms; the cosmetic ingredient may be extracted from them, produced by fermentation or synthesised: the label does not say which.
Basis: one CosIng CAS and natural occurrence recorded in Wikidata (LOTUS database).
Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.
Natural occurrence recorded in Wikidata (LOTUS database): 2 taxa; examples: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Nicotiana tabacum.
Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.
Manufacturing
... By-product in mfr of phthalic anhydride from o-xyleneManufacturing
Maleic anhydride is produced by reaction of butane with oxygen using the vanadium phosphorus oxide heterogeneous catalyst ...Manufacturing
May be prepared by sublimation of maleic acid and P2O5 under reduced pressure. ... Commercial production by catalytic vapor-phase oxidation of benzene or other suitable hydrocarbons.Appearance
Colorless needles or white lumps or pelletsPubChem, Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29. NIOSH. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2010-168 (2010). Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg
Appearance
Needles from ether or chloroformAppearance
Orthorhombic needles from chloroform; commercial grades furnished in fused form, as briquettesOther names: anhydride maléique (French), Maleinsäureanhydrid (German), Anhídrido maleico (Spanish), anidride maleica (Italian), anidrido maleico (Portuguese).
Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.
Present in 0.0% of recorded cosmetics (0 out of 22 496).
Open Beauty Facts, export of cosmetic products, retrieved 23 October 2026.
Data “Open Beauty Facts and its contributors”, licensed under ODbL 1.0 (opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0); derived table distributed under the same licence.
The text of the annexes
No specific rule of the EU Cosmetics Regulation names this ingredient: it is on none of its lists (prohibited, restricted, colorants, preservatives, UV filters). It may be used under the responsibility of the manufacturer, who must ensure the product is safe.
Search in Annexes II to VI. CosIng, Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (prohibited substances), retrieved 23 October 2026, source updated 13 October 2026.
What has changed, and what will change
Dates of the texts that cover this ingredient. A text date may cover several substances: the details of each entry are below.
CLP classification “Acute Tox. 4” applicable at the latest from this date (Regulation (EU) 2018/1480)
Identity
- CosIng identifier
- 57602
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 108-31-6
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 203-571-6
- Declared functions
Film forming
Forms a continuous film on skin, hair or nails after application.
Produces, upon application, a continuous film on skin, hair or nails.
Decision 2006/257/EC, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (definitions of functions), retrieved 22 October 2026.
- Wikidata
- Q412377
- PubChem
- 7923
- ECHA InfoCard
- 100.003.247
- InChIKey
- FPYJFEHAWHCUMM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
CosIng inventory. CosIng, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (INCI names, CAS, EC, functions), retrieved 21 October 2026.
Wikidata, items with a CosIng identifier (P3073), retrieved 22 October 2026.
Wikidata, PubChem and ECHA links are published only when verified: same CosIng identifier, a single item, matching CAS number.
Classified hazard (CLP Regulation)
The harmonised classification is the one set by the European Union for the whole Union. H codes refer to the hazard statements of Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.
maleic anhydride
Neither carcinogenic, mutagenic nor toxic for reproduction under the harmonised classification
- Hazard classes
- Acute toxicity, category 4 (Acute Tox. 4)
Specific target organ toxicity, repeated exposure, category 1 (STOT RE 1)
Skin corrosion, category 1B (Skin Corr. 1B)
Serious eye damage, category 1 (Eye Dam. 1)
Respiratory sensitisation, category 1 (Resp. Sens. 1)
Skin sensitisation, category 1A (Skin Sens. 1A) - Hazard statements
- H302 H372 (respiratory system) (inhalation) H314 H318 H334 H317
Annex VI, entry 607-096-00-9, linked by CAS 108-31-6. Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP), consolidated version, Annex VI table 3, retrieved 21 October 2026.
Entry introduced or replaced by Regulation (EU) 2018/1480, applicable at the latest from 1 May 2020.
Elsewhere in the world
Information on other jurisdictions, with no effect on sale in France. What is covered, and what is not yet.
Comparison between countries
Most restrictive status in each country, and the maximum concentration cited. The details and the source of each rule follow.
| Country | Rule | Maximum concentration cited |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | No specific rule in the Cosmetics Regulation | not cited |
| United Kingdom | No specific rule in the Cosmetics Regulation | not cited |
| Switzerland | EU Regulation applies | not cited |
| United States (federal) | No federal rule recorded | not cited |
| Canada | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| Japan | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| South Korea | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| China | Not on the prohibited lists recorded (lists of allowed substances are not recorded) | not cited |
| Australia | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| ASEAN | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| Taiwan | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| Brazil | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- No specific rule in the Cosmetics Regulation
Annexes II to VI in force. United Kingdom, Annexes II to VI of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as retained and amended, retrieved 21 October 2026.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Northern Ireland applies EU law.
Switzerland
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).
Switzerland, FDHA Ordinance on Cosmetic Products (OCos, SR 817.023.31), consolidated version, retrieved 22 October 2026.
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.
United States, 21 CFR part 700 and section 250.250 (FDA rules on cosmetic ingredients), eCFR, retrieved 21 October 2026.
The eCFR is not an official legal edition of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
1 recorded product list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (in French).
Open Beauty Facts, export of cosmetic products, retrieved 23 October 2026.
Data “Open Beauty Facts and its contributors”, licensed under ODbL 1.0 (opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0); derived table distributed under the same licence.
Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 23 October 2026.