Is titanium dioxide in cosmetics safe?
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been used safely in cosmetics worldwide for many decades.
The safety of TiO₂ in cosmetics has been repeatedly assessed by independent European and international scientific authorities and continues to be regulated under the EU Cosmetics Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009).
Under EU law, TiO2 is authorised:
- as a colourant (Annex IV, entry 143), and
- as a UV filter (Annex VI, entries 27 and 27a, including nanoforms with specific requirements),
The European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has regularly reviewed the safety of TiO2 in cosmetic applications and found it safe. The latest advice from the SCCS on the safety of TiO2 was published on 13 May 2024 and confirmed that TiO2 forms that show no adverse effects in the latest non‑animal in vitro studies can be considered safe. Following this, the cosmetics industry commissioned a comprehensive programme of studies covering a wide range of TiO2 forms and submitted the resulting dossier to the European Commission. The Commission subsequently mandated the SCCS to assess these data and an updated SCCS opinion is expected before the end of 2026.
