EU
Prohibited
Annex II · entry 1730
Rule
Prohibited in cosmetic products, every use
Regulation
(EU) 2024/996
New products
May not be placed on the market from 1 May 2025
Products on sale
May not be made available from 1 May 2026
Is 4-MBC banned in cosmetics? In the EU, yes. In Türkiye, still allowed.
4-MBC (4-methylbenzylidene camphor) is a UV filter used in sunscreens. The EU has prohibited it in every cosmetic product: no new products since 1 May 2025, and none on sale from 1 May 2026. Türkiye’s annex still lists it as a UV filter, up to 4%.
Türkiye
UV filter
Ek VI · entry 18
Rule
Allowed as a UV filter
Maximum
4%
Türkiye’s annex still carries the EU rule from before Regulation (EU) 2024/996. A sunscreen made in Türkiye for the EU market must not contain 4-MBC.
What it is. The EU annex entry.
INCI name | 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor |
|---|---|
Chemical name | 3-(4'-methylbenzylidene)-camphor; [ |
CAS | 36861-47-9, 38102-62-4 |
EC | 253-242-6 |
EU entry | Annex II · 1730 · (EU) 2024/996 |
Entry updated | 04/04/2024 |
The EU entry is from the Commission’s CosIng file of 13 Oct 2026; Türkiye’s from the current annex text on mevzuat.gov.tr, read 2 Nov 2026.
Why. The reason behind the rule.
The SCCS could not conclude that 4-MBC is safe: the data were not enough to rule out genotoxicity, and there was enough evidence that it may act as an endocrine disruptor on the thyroid and oestrogen systems. No safe concentration could be set, so the EU prohibited it for every use in cosmetics (SCCS opinion of 29 April 2022).
Questions about this ingredient.
Can a sunscreen containing 4-MBC still be sold in the EU?
No. New products could not be placed on the market from 1 May 2025, and from 1 May 2026 no product containing it may be made available.
Is 4-MBC allowed in Türkiye?
Türkiye’s annex lists it as a UV filter up to 4% (Ek VI, entry 18). That is the EU rule before Regulation (EU) 2024/996. A product for the EU must not contain it.