Compoatlas

RED PETROLATUM

Official label name (INCI name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 24093

RED PETROLATUM: Prohibited unless refining is demonstrated (Annex II, entry 904), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.

In plain words

What it is used for

Functions declared by manufacturers:

Emollient (skin conditioning): softens and smooths the skin.

Moisturising: increases the water content of the skin and helps keep it soft and smooth.

UV absorber: protects the cosmetic product from the effects of UV light.

What the rules say

Prohibited unless the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen. This cannot be checked on an ingredient list.

The text of the annexes

Prohibited unless refining is demonstrated

CosIng links the name RED PETROLATUM to this entry. The cases of prohibition are explained above, in “In plain words”; the official title is given below.

Entry
Annex II, No 904
Substance
Petrolatum, except if the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen
CAS
8009-03-8
EC
232-373-2
CMR
Carcinogenic Cat. 1B()
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
79458
CAS (according to CosIng)
8009-03-8
EC (according to CosIng)
232-373-2
Declared functions
Skin conditioning: emollient, Moisturising, UV absorber

The CAS number cited by CosIng also covers 1 other INCI name: it designates a family of substances, not this ingredient alone.

Elsewhere in the world

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

United Kingdom (Great Britain)

  • Prohibited unless refining is demonstrated (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.

China

  • Prohibited: 矿脂, 除非清楚全部精炼过程并且能够证明所获得的物质不是致癌 物 (Petrolatum （CAS No. 8009-03-8）, except if the full refining history is known and it can be shown that the substance from which it is produced is not a carcinogen)

    表1 化妆品禁用原料目录 (prohibited substances, 2021年第74号), entry 1018, page 附件2 (.doc) table row 1018 ; TID reprint p.39.

Brazil

  • Prohibited: Petrolato, exceto se conhecerem todos os antecedentes de refinação e se se puder provar que a substância a partir da qual foi produzida não é cancerígena até aqui

    RDC 529/2021, Anexo (prohibited substances), entry 904, page 31. Conditions (source text, in Portuguese): N° UE: 904

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