EU vs US Cosmetic Safety Standards for Children: What Families Should Know

The short version

• The EU bans more than 1,700 substances in cosmetics. US federal rules restrict only a handful.
• A 2022 US law gave the FDA new recall and reporting powers, but cosmetics still don't need FDA approval before they're sold.
• EU safety reviews now look at children's exposure by age, but research on ages 3 to 10 is still thin.

If you've seen a product say it's "made to EU standards," you might have wondered what that actually means. It's a fair question. The rules for what can go into a shampoo are very different in Europe and the United States, and that gap matters most for the people with the most sensitive skin: children.

Two Very Different Starting Points

How the EU does it

In the European Union, cosmetics fall under one law, known as Regulation 1223/2009. It keeps a list of substances that can't be used in cosmetics at all, and that list now holds more than 1,700 entries[1]. A separate list covers hundreds more ingredients that are allowed only with limits on how much, in which products, and with what warnings on the label[1].

How the US does it

In the US, the list is much shorter. The FDA prohibits or restricts only a small number of ingredients by regulation, such as hexachlorophene, mercury compounds, and methylene chloride[2]. For a sense of scale, the EU added 29 ingredients to its ban list in 2023 alone. That's nearly three times the number the FDA has ever banned[3].

What Changed in the US in 2022

The US did take a real step forward with the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, or MoCRA, signed into law in late 2022[4]. It gives the FDA new powers. Companies now have to register their facilities and list their products with the FDA. They have to report serious reactions. And for the first time, the FDA can require a recall[4].

What MoCRA didn't do is create a long list of banned ingredients. Cosmetics in the US still don't need FDA approval before they go on sale[4]. Much of the work of restricting specific ingredients has fallen to individual states[3].

Where Children Come In

Here's the part that matters most for anyone choosing products for a child. In the EU, every cosmetic product needs a documented safety assessment before it can be sold, and that assessment has to consider who will actually use it. In 2023, the EU's scientific committee on consumer safety updated its guidance so that assessments take into account how children of different ages are exposed[5]. Products made for children under three get an even closer look, with their own published guidance for manufacturers and safety assessors[6].

Even in Europe, there's a gap. In a 2025 review, that same committee noted there was little exposure data for children ages 3 to 10[7]. Babies have special rules. Adults are well studied. The years in between have less research behind them.

Children's skin isn't a smaller version of yours. Their skin barrier is still maturing through the early years[8]. That's why we think products made for them should meet the strictest standard available.

What This Means When You're Shopping

• "Made to EU standards" is a meaningful claim. It means the formula avoids every ingredient on Europe's banned list, even if the product is sold in the US.
• US rules set a floor. A product can be legal in the US and still contain ingredients Europe doesn't allow.
• The label still matters. Look for a short ingredient list, no added fragrance, and gentle cleansers.

How We Approached It

We formulated Star Light Shampoo and Star Shine Conditioner to meet EU safety standards, even though US law doesn't require it. We worked with chemists and dermatologists so every ingredient earned its place. For children ages 3 to 12, where the research is thinnest, that felt like the right place to start.

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