Products containing titanium dioxide in the EU are no longer required to carry warnings about cancer risk, after the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) revoked its classification as a suspected carcinogen. The move follows a June 2025 decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union and means that safety data sheets, labelling and packaging requirements for titanium dioxide have been relaxed across industries including paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food.
The decision is the latest in a decade-long regulatory debate. In 2016, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) proposed that powdered titanium dioxide should be classified as an ‘inhalation carcinogen’. Echa’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) supported the proposal in 2017, leading to the European Commission listing the substance as a category 2 suspected carcinogen. This required products containing powdered titanium dioxide to carry the warning ‘H351: suspected of causing cancer when inhaled’.
Multiple manufacturers, downstream users and importers have mounted legal challenges to that ruling. In November 2022, the General Court of the European Union ruled that the commission had committed a ‘manifest error’ in using scientific evidence but failing to demonstrate intrinsic carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide. After more appeals from France and the European Commission were dismissed in August 2025, the classification was finally revoked. As a result, titanium dioxide products are no longer required to carry the warning label.
As industries and authorities adjust to this change, Echa and industry experts will continue to monitor advances in this area.
Reference:
Today we announce that Exim is rebranding as ExSyn. We are presenting a new brand identity and website as a reflection of our relentless transformation over the course of 30 years serving the pharma and chemical industries. The new brand builds upon our core strengths as a sourcing company and captures our most essential duty: helping improve people’s health and lives.
Dibutyl sulfide is an organosulfur. It is a clear, colorless to pale yellow liquid characterized by a strong sulfur-like odor and is primarily used as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, specialty organic manufacturing, and research applications. The compound exhibits good solvency properties and moderate thermal stability, making it useful in industrial and laboratory processes involving sulfur-containing organic compounds.
Oleylamine is a long-chain (C18) primary fatty amine derived from natural fatty acids, typically sourced from vegetable oils. It is produced from oleic acid through conversion of the carboxylic acid group (–COOH) into an amine group (–NH₂). With its optimal balance of hydrophobic chain length and reactive amine functionality it serves as a versatile and dependable building block for high-performance formulations.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan known for its exceptional ability to retain moisture, along with its viscoelastic and biocompatible properties, making it highly valuable across pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biomedical applications.