SCCS final opinions: acetophenone and heliotropin

• On 15 October 2026 the European Commission published two final opinions of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS): SCCS/1689/26 on acetophenone and SCCS/1688/26 on heliotropin.
• Acetophenone: considered safe when present as a constituent of natural complex substances up to 100 ppm (0.01 %) in the finished cosmetic product, for adults and children from the age of 3.
• Heliotropin: considered safe up to 1.8 %, only in fine fragrances for adults.
• An SCCS opinion is scientific advice to the Commission. It does not amend the Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.

1. What was published

The two opinions were adopted by written procedure, heliotropin on 12 October 2026 and acetophenone on 14 October 2026, and published together on the Commission's website on 15 October. Both are final versions: each preliminary version went through a public commenting period, and each final text lists the sections that changed after the comments.

Both substances are fragrance ingredients. In the CosIng inventory, ACETOPHENONE (CAS 98-86-2, EC 202-708-7) and HELIOTROPINE (CAS 120-57-0, EC 204-409-7) are listed with the functions fragrance and perfuming, and neither has an entry in the Annexes of the Cosmetics Regulation (BD-API copy of CosIng, checked on 16 October 2026). You can see both records in the BD-API database: Acetophenone and Heliotropine.

2. Acetophenone (SCCS/1689/26)

What it is. Acetophenone (1-phenylethanone) is an aromatic compound used in cosmetics mainly as a perfuming agent, for its sweet and floral scent. According to the opinion, it occurs naturally in various plant extracts, the natural complex substances (NCS): essential oils, concretes, absolutes, gums and resinoids. The opinion also notes that it is listed in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 872/2012, and that the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) concluded that it does not present a safety concern at current low levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.

What was assessed. The dossier submitted to the Commission covered acetophenone as a constituent of NCS, at a concentration not exceeding 100 ppm in the finished cosmetic product. It did not cover acetophenone added as an ingredient as such. The Commission asked the SCCS to assess it on that basis, taking into consideration a possible classification of the substance under the CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

The conclusion. The SCCS considers acetophenone safe when present up to a maximum concentration of 100 ppm (0.01 %) in cosmetic products for adults and children from the age of 3 years, including exposure from sources other than cosmetics.

What the opinion does not cover. The natural complex substances themselves were not assessed: the conclusion relates only to acetophenone as part of NCS, not to NCS as such.

What changed in the final version. The preliminary version, dated 30 April 2026, was open for comments from 30 April to 6 July 2026. The final text lists its main changes in Table 6, the tobacco part of the exposure assessment, an SCCS comment on eye irritation, the SCCS overall conclusion on the choice of point of departure, the SCCS comments on two in vitro genotoxicity studies, and Conclusion 1.

3. Heliotropin (SCCS/1688/26)

What it is. Heliotropin, also known as piperonal, is an aromatic compound used for its sweet, floral scent. According to the opinion, it is found naturally in some essential oils but is mostly produced synthetically, and it is used in perfumes, lotions, creams, shampoos and deodorants. It can also work as a fixative, helping to prolong other scents, and as a masking agent.

What was assessed. In June 2025 the Commission received a dossier on the use of heliotropin as an ingredient in fine fragrances for adults only. The SCCS was asked whether that use is safe up to 1.8 %, again taking into consideration a possible classification of the substance under the CLP Regulation.

The conclusion. The SCCS considers heliotropin safe when used up to a maximum concentration of 1.8 %, only in fine fragrances for adults.

What the opinion does not cover. The SCCS states that its assessment only covers that use, as mandated. It notes that the applicant also provided margin of safety calculations for other cosmetic products, including products for children, and for tobacco products and e-cigarettes, which the applicant presents as within the margin of safety for aggregated exposure. Those calculations are reproduced in Annexes II and III for information: the SCCS did not assess their reliability and did not conclude on those uses.

What changed in the final version. The preliminary version, dated 26 March 2026, was open for comments from 15 April to 15 June 2026. The final text lists its main changes in SCCS comments on impurities, exposure, skin sensitisation, reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity; the function and uses section and the overall exposure; the safety evaluation; the relevant parts of the discussion; Conclusion 3; and new annexes.

4. The two opinions side by side

5. What an SCCS opinion is, and what it is not

The SCCS is one of the Commission's two independent non-food scientific committees. The committees provide the scientific advice the Commission needs when preparing policy and proposals on consumer safety, public health and the environment; each opinion states that it does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission.

An opinion does not change the law by itself. The Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 are amended by a regulation published in the Official Journal, usually a Commission regulation. SCCS publications and EUR-Lex are separate sources, and they are covered in our guide to monitoring EU cosmetic regulation changes. BD-API's Regulatory Watch tracks both.

6. Frequently asked questions

Are acetophenone and heliotropin restricted in EU cosmetics today? Neither substance has an entry in the Annexes of Regulation 1223/2009 in the CosIng data (BD-API copy, checked on 16 October 2026). The two opinions do not change the Annexes.

Does the 100 ppm figure apply to acetophenone added as an ingredient? The opinion assessed acetophenone as a constituent of natural complex substances and states that its conclusion relates only to acetophenone as part of NCS.

Does the 1.8 % figure apply to body mists, deodorants or children's products? The SCCS assessment only covers heliotropin in fine fragrances for adults. The applicant's calculations for other products are in the annexes, but the SCCS did not conclude on them.

Why do both opinions mention the CLP Regulation? Both mandates asked the SCCS to take into consideration a possible classification of the substance under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

Where are the full texts? On the Commission's website: SCCS/1689/26, acetophenone and SCCS/1688/26, heliotropin. Each page links to the PDF of the opinion.

7. In short

The SCCS closed two assessments of fragrance ingredients in the same week. For acetophenone, the conclusion is tied to its presence in essential oils and other natural complex substances: the maximum concentration the SCCS considers safe is 100 ppm in the finished product, for adults and children from the age of 3. For heliotropin, it is tied to one product type: fine fragrances for adults, up to 1.8 %. Both are scientific conclusions with defined conditions; neither amends Regulation 1223/2009.

Disclaimer. This article is for information only and does not constitute regulatory or legal advice. It summarises two SCCS opinions; the conditions of each conclusion are set out in full in the original texts. Only the text published in the Official Journal of the European Union is legally binding.