Banned and Restricted Ingredients

'Banned' is a legal status, not a universal label

In the EU, Annex II to the Cosmetic Products Regulation lists prohibited substances, while Annex III covers restricted substances and conditions. Other countries maintain their own rules. The same ingredient may also fall under a different product classification in another market. This is why a global scan should never give a context-free red or green verdict.

What a responsible warning should show

A useful warning names the matched ingredient and any synonyms, the relevant jurisdiction, whether the source says prohibited or restricted, and the date the rule was checked. If the rule has a concentration limit and the product label does not reveal the concentration, the result should say 'cannot determine from label' rather than claim a breach.

Project Glow updates its regulatory data regularly from government and recognised organisation sources. Each alert needs a traceable rule and source date; the website does not itself certify any scanned product.

Why a label scan has limits

Labels can be damaged, translated, incomplete or changed after reformulation. Optical character recognition can misread names. Unlisted contaminants cannot be identified from an ingredients photo. Check the original packaging and current local authority guidance, and ask the manufacturer or regulator when a safety question remains.