On June 9, 2026, Thailand Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) published, on the Thai legal consultation portal, a number of draft amendments to cosmetic ingredient regulations aimed at keeping pace with the latest updates to the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD).
The drafts tighten the permitted-use conditions for popular ingredients such as homosalate, benzophenone-3, salicylic acid, and zinc pyrithione; add new restricted entries for verbena absolute, Acid Yellow 3, and BHT; and add 10 substances, including Quaternium-15, to the prohibited list. The drafts are currently open for public comment, with a feedback deadline of July 8, 2026. CIRS Group has compiled the main contents for your reference.
Background
Article 22(3) of Thailand’s Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) authorizes the Cosmetic Committee to issue subordinate regulations. As an ASEAN member and a member of the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee (ACC), Thailand must continuously align its domestic regulations with the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD). This batch of draft amendments was developed to implement the ACD’s recent updates to the cosmetic ingredient lists and is now open for public comment via Thailand’s legal-draft consultation portal (law.go.th). Each amendment is proposed to take effect upon publication in the Royal Thai Government Gazette, with a 180-day transition period.
Amendments to the Permitted Sunscreen Filter List (Homosalate, Benzophenone-3)
Homosalate (CAS 118-56-9) and Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone, CAS 131-57-7) are currently listed as items No. 2 and No. 3 in Thailand’s permitted sunscreen filter list, with maximum permitted use concentrations of 10% and 6% respectively, and no product-type restriction. The drafts propose narrowing the permitted product types for both and lowering their maximum concentrations:
- Homosalate: proposed to be limited to non-aerosol facial sunscreen products, at a maximum permitted use concentration of 7.34%;
- Benzophenone-3: proposed to be limited to sunscreen products for the face, hands, and lips, at a maximum permitted use concentration of 6%.
Amendments to the Restricted Substances List (Salicylic Acid, Zinc Pyrithione, etc.)
Salicylic acid (CAS 69-72-7): currently regulated as item No. 68 when used as a non-preservative (max 3% or 2%, and banned in products for children under 3 years old, except shampoo). The draft proposes further tightening its permitted product types and maximum permitted use concentration (the specific limits are subject to the official text of the draft).
Zinc pyrithione (CAS 13463-41-7): currently regulated as item No. 71 when used as a non-preservative (max 2% for rinse-off and 0.5% for leave-on). The draft proposes lowering the maximum concentration to 1% for rinse-off (e.g., shampoo) and 0.1% for leave-on.
New Restricted-List Entries
Verbena absolute (Lippia citriodora Kunth.): proposed to add item No. 215, bringing its 5 related components under restricted-substance management; at the same time, the CAS number is proposed to be removed from prohibited-list item No. 447 (verbena derivatives and verbena oils other than the absolute, prohibited as fragrance ingredients).
- Acid Yellow 3 (CAS 8004-92-0): not currently listed; proposed to add item No. 216, limited to non-oxidative hair-dye products, at a maximum permitted use concentration of 0.5%.
- BHT (CAS 128-37-0): not currently listed; proposed to add item No. 217, bringing it under restricted-substance management (the specific limit is subject to the official text of the draft).
New Prohibited-List Substances (Items No. 1710–1719, 10 Substances in Total)
The drafts propose adding items No. 1710–1719 to the list of prohibited cosmetic substances, and removing the currently permitted preservative “Quaternium-15” from the permitted list and placing it under prohibition, as follows:
| No. | Prohibited Substance | CAS No. |
| 1710 | Petroleum, coal tar, and natural gas, and their derivatives generated using distillation and/or other processing methods, if they contain ≥ 0.1% w/w 1,3-butadiene | 68607-11-4 and 56 others* |
| 1711 |
Cis-1-(3-chlorallyl)-3,5,7-triaza-1-azoniaadamantane chloride (cis-CTAC) quaternium-15 |
51229-78-8 / 4080-31-3 |
| 1712 |
2-ethyl-2-[[(1-oxoallyl)oxy]methyl]-1,3-propanediyl diacrylate; 2,2-bis(acryloyloxymethyl)butylacrylatetrimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) |
15625-89-5 |
| 1713 | Phenacetin | 62-44-2 |
| 1714 | Benzophenone | 119-61-9 |
| 1715 | Miconazole / Miconazole Nitrate | 22916-47-8 / 22832-87-7 |
| 1716 | Bifonazole | 60628-96-8 |
| 1717 | Clotrimazole | 23593-75-1 |
| 1718 | Thiabendazole | 148-79-8 |
| 1719 | Tioconazole | 65899-73-2 |
*57 CAS Number：68607-11-4 [1]; 68783-06-2 [2]; 68814-67-5 [3]; 68814-90-4 [4]; 68911-58-0 [5]; 68911-59-1 [6]; 68919-01-7 [7]; 68919-02-8 [8]; 68919-03-9 [9]; 68919-04-0 [10]; 68919-07-3 [11]; 68919-08-4 [12]; 68919-11-9 [13]; 68919-12-0 [14]; 68952-79-4 [15]; 68952-80-7 [16]; 68955-33-9 [17]; 68989-88-8 [18]; 92045-15-3 [19]; 92045-16-4 [20]; 92045-17-5 [21]; 92045-18-6 [22]; 92045-19-7 [23]; 92045-20-0 [24]; 68131-75-9 [25]; 68307-98-2 [26]; 68307-99-3 [27]; 68308-00-9 [28]; 68308-01-0 [29]; 68308-10-1 [30]; 68308-03-2 [31]; 68308-04-3 [32]; 68308-05-4 [33]; 68308-06-5 [34]; 68308-07-6 [35]; 68308-09-8 [36]; 68308-11-2 [37]; 68308-12-3 [38]; 68409-99-4 [39]; 68475-57-0 [40]; 68475-58-1 [41]; 68475-59-2 [42]; 68475-60-5 [43]; 68476-26-6 [44]; 68476-29-9 [45]; 68476-40-4 [46]; 68476-42-6 [47]; 68476-49-3 [48]; 68476-85-7 [49]; 68476-86-8 [50]; 68477-33-8 [51]; 68477-35-0 [52]; 68477-69-0 [53]; 68477-70-3 [54]; 68477-71-4 [55]; 68477-72-5 [56]; 68308-08-7 [57]
In parallel, the draft proposes deleting the warning requirement for item No. 29 (Quaternium-15, Methenamine 3-chloroallylochloride) from the annex of the Announcement on the Display of Warnings on Labels of Cosmetics Containing Preservatives (B.E. 2561 / 2018), to align with the above prohibition.
CIRS Reminder
This revision is an important step for Thailand to align with the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive and tighten the regulation of popular ingredients; the permitted-use scope or status of sunscreen filters, the anti-dandruff agent zinc pyrithione, the preservative Quaternium-15, and several drug-class ingredients (miconazole, clotrimazole, etc.) will change markedly. Cosmetic enterprises are advised to:
- Conduct an early review of the use of ingredients such as homosalate, benzophenone-3, salicylic acid, zinc pyrithione, and Quaternium-15 in products on the market and under development, and plan formulation adjustments and alternatives;
- Follow the subsequent official text to be published in the Royal Thai Government Gazette and ensure that products complete their compliance switch within the transition period.
If you need any assistance or have any questions, please get in touch with us via service@cirs-group.com.
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