How to Check if Your Cosmetics Are Safe in the EU

In 2025, cosmetics became the #1 most alerted product category in the EU's product safety system. Thousands of products — perfumes, deodorants, shampoos, creams — were flagged as dangerous. Many of them were sold in mainstream stores and online.

The question is: how do you know if the products in your bathroom are safe?

The EU Safety Alert System

The European Union operates a public product safety database that tracks dangerous products reported by national authorities across all member states. When a product is found to be harmful — whether due to banned ingredients, contamination, or labeling violations — it gets an alert.

These alerts are public, but most consumers never see them. The database is designed for regulators, not everyday users. That's the gap BeautyGuard fills.

3 Ways to Check Your Cosmetics

1. Scan the barcode

The fastest method. Open BeautyGuard Scanner, point your camera at the product's barcode (or type it in manually). We'll instantly check it against 4,700+ EU safety alerts and score every ingredient.

2. Paste the ingredient list (INCI)

Copy the ingredients list from an online store or the product packaging. Paste it into our Ingredient Analyzer. You'll get a safety score for each ingredient based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 — the law that governs cosmetics safety in Europe.

3. Check the label yourself

EU law (Article 19 of Regulation 1223/2009) requires specific information on every cosmetic product sold in the EU:

• Responsible person — name and address of the company responsible for the product
• Ingredient list (INCI) — all ingredients in descending order by weight
• Expiry date or PAO — how long after opening is the product safe?
• Fragrance allergens — 26 allergens must be listed individually, not hidden behind "parfum"
• Batch number — for traceability in case of a recall

What Makes an Ingredient "Dangerous"?

BeautyGuard uses a 6-tier scoring system based on EU law:

1. Banned (score: 0) — Substances listed in Annex II of EU Regulation 1223/2009. These should never appear in any cosmetic product sold in the EU.
2. Restricted (score: 60) — Allowed only within specific concentration limits (Annex III-VI).
3. Fragrance allergen (score: 50) — Must be declared on the label. Common triggers: Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol.
4. CIR Safe (score: 85) — Reviewed and found safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review.
5. Known in CosIng (score: 65-80) — Registered in the EU's official cosmetic ingredient database.
6. Unknown (score: 60) — Not found in any database. Needs investigation.

What To Do If Your Product Has an Alert

If BeautyGuard finds a safety alert matching your product:

1. Stop using it immediately
2. Check the alert details — what's the specific risk?
3. Return it to the store for a refund (EU consumer law protects you)
4. Report it if you experienced adverse effects — contact your national consumer protection agency

"The EU publishes new cosmetics safety alerts every week. Most consumers never see them. BeautyGuard changes that."

Try It Now

Checking your cosmetics takes 10 seconds. Scan a product or paste an ingredient list — it's free, no registration required.