The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) adds new substances to its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Candidate List twice a year. These are substances that may require future authorization and that manufacturers will need to uncover in their products and begin reporting now.
On June 25, 2025, three new substances were added to the Candidate List. The list now contains 250 entries for harmful chemicals, some of which are groups of chemicals, so the overall number of impacted substances is higher.
If any of these substances are present in your products at greater than 0.1% concentration, you must report the necessary chemical data to your customers. You must also report chemical information in the Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database.
New Candidate List Substances Added in January 2024
The following substances were included in the latest REACH candidate list update.
1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl-3-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]trisiloxane
This substance was added because it is classed as very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB).
It is used as a laboratory reagent in cosmetics, personal care products, perfumes, and fragrances.
Decamethyltetrasiloxane
This substance was added because it is classed as very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB).
It is used in cosmetics and personal care products, lubricants, greases, and in automotive care products.
Tetra(sodium/potassium) 7-[(E)-{2-acetamido-4-[(E)-(4-{[4-chloro-6-({2-[(4-fluoro-6-{[4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]amino}-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)amino]propyl}amino)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl]amino}-5-sulfonato-1-naphthyl)diazenyl]-5-methoxyphenyl}diazenyl]-1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate; Reactive Brown 51
This substance was added because it is toxic for reproduction.
It is used in textile treatment products and dyes.
How to Remain REACH Compliant
The first step to remaining REACH compliant is to determine whether any substances on the Candidate List are present in the products you manufacture or purchase from suppliers. If any such substances are present at or above the 0.1% weight by weight (w/w) threshold, whether on their own, in mixtures, or in articles, you must inform your customers and downstream users and provide safe use instructions. Consumers also have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they purchase contain substances of very high concern (SVHCs).
In addition, these substances must be reported in the SCIP database, as required under the Waste Framework Directive. This database makes information on SVHCs in articles publicly available to support safer material cycles.
Importers and producers of articles must notify ECHA within six months of a substance being added to the Candidate List most recently, by 25 June 2025, if the substance is present in their articles and the total volume imported or produced in the EU is one metric ton or more annually. Suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, whether sold individually or in mixtures, must also update the safety data sheets provided to customers.
Finally, keep in mind that substances on the Candidate List may eventually be added to the Authorization List. Once listed there, continued use is only permitted if a company applies for and is granted authorization by the European Commission. Products containing SVHCs are also ineligible for the EU Ecolabel.
Find Sustainable REACH Solutions
REACH requirements change regularly, and REACH enforcement is on the rise. If you want to keep your products on the market in the EU, it’s essential to understand all your REACH reporting obligations.
If you need help identifying Candidate List substances in your products, communicating with your suppliers, or maintaining your REACH reporting, contact Tetra Tech’s product compliance experts at [email protected]. We have decades of experience with EU compliance regulations and can help you find sustainable compliance solutions.
