On 4 February 2026, The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added two new hazardous substances to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC), bringing the total number of entries to 253. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and giving customers and consumers information on their safe use.
Newly added hazardous substances to the Candidate List are as follows:
|
Substance name
|
EC number
|
CAS number
|
Reason for inclusion
|
Examples of uses
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
n-hexane
|
203-777-6
|
110-54-3
|
Specific target organ toxicity after repeated exposure (Article 57(f) - human health)
|
Formulation, polymer processing, coatings and cleaning agent
|
|
4,4'-[2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl)ethylidene]diphenol and its salts
|
-
|
-
|
Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c)
|
Process regulator and cross-linking agent
|
Legal Obligations for Companies:
Under REACH, companies have legal obligations once a substance is added to the Candidate List — whether it is used on its own, in a mixture, or in an article.
- If the substance is in an article (above 0.1% w/w):
- Information duty:Suppliers must provide customers and consumers with information on safe use.
- Consumer right-to-know:Consumers have the right to ask whether the products they buy contain SVHC.
- Notification to ECHA:Importers and producers must notify ECHA within six months from the date of inclusion (4 February 2026).
- If the substance is supplied on its own or in a mixture:
- Safety data sheet (SDS) update:Suppliers in the EU and EEA must update the safety data sheet provided to customers.
- Additional obligations under other EU laws:
- SCIP notification:Under the Waste Framework Directive, companies must notify ECHA if their articles contain SVHCs above 0.1% w/w. This notification is published in ECHA’s database of substances of concern in products (SCIP).
- EU Ecolabel:Under the EU Ecolabel Regulation, products containing SVHCs cannot have the ecolabel award.
