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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Hydrogen Peroxide in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Hydrogen Peroxide is a cosmetic ingredient that slows the growth of microbes on the skin. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 164 products, most often hair care.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Hydrogen Peroxide do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Hydrogen Peroxide slows the growth of microbes on the skin and changes the chemistry of another ingredient, as in hair dye. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: antimicrobial and oxidising.

antimicrobialoxidising

What other names and numbers does Hydrogen Peroxide have?

CAS number
7722-84-1
EC number
231-765-0
CosIng reference
34325

Is Hydrogen Peroxide restricted in the EU?

Yes, it has limits. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions of use, such as a maximum amount or a warning on the label (Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 12).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Hydrogen Peroxide?

Open Beauty Facts finds Hydrogen Peroxide in the ingredient lists of 164 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often hair care and hair dyes.

  • Hair care25
  • Hair dyes23

Products with it, by country of sale: Norway 64 · Australia 33 · France 29 · United States 11.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Hydrogen Peroxide turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsRestricted in the EU

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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