Products with titanium dioxide in the EU are no longer mandated to display cancer risk warnings, following the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) rescinding its classification as a probable carcinogen. This decision comes after a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union in June 2025 and results in the relaxation of safety data sheets, labeling, and packaging requirements for titanium dioxide across various sectors, including paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food.
This resolution marks the latest development in a decade-long regulatory discourse. In 2016, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) suggested that powdered titanium dioxide be deemed an ‘inhalation carcinogen’. In 2017, Echa’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) endorsed this proposition, prompting the European Commission to categorize the substance as a type 2 suspected carcinogen. Consequently, products containing powdered titanium dioxide were mandated to include the warning ‘H351: suspected of causing cancer when inhaled’.
Numerous manufacturers, end users, and importers initiated legal actions against that determination. In November 2022, the General Court of the European Union determined that the commission had made a ‘manifest error’ by utilizing scientific evidence yet failing to prove the intrinsic carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide. After further appeals from France and the European Commission were rejected in August 2025, the classification was ultimately annulled. Consequently, products with titanium dioxide are no longer obligated to feature the warning label.
As industries and authorities adapt to this transition, Echa and industry specialists will continue to monitor developments in this domain.