California Restricts Cosmetic Ingredients with Musk Reduction Act
BAAR, SWITZERLAND / AGILITYPR.NEWS / December 03, 2025 / SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, has published SafeGuardS 172.25, summarizing the introduction of California’s Musk Reduction Act, which places legal restrictions on bioaccumulative and potentially toxic cosmetic ingredients.
The manufacture, sale, distribution or offering for sale of any cosmetic products containing the specifically added ingredients musk ambrette, musk tibetene, musk moskene, musk xylene and musk ketone have been prohibited under the Musk Reduction Act, passed on October 7, 2025.
Section 108980 of California’s Health and Safety Code, in force since January 1, 2025, will be expanded under the Act, with the new provisions taking effect on January 1, 2027.
Products containing musk ketone specifically, which exceed the following concentrations, are banned:
- 1.4% in fine fragrances
- 0.56% in eau de toilette
- 0% in oral products
- 0.042% in all other cosmetic products
Cosmetic products containing unavoidable trace levels of the listed ingredients are exempt; however, these traces must result from impurities in natural or synthetic ingredients, the manufacturing process, storage conditions or migration from packaging materials, and must not lead to violation of the permitted limits.
SGS experts publish SafeGuardS to keep stakeholders informed about regulatory changes that could impact their business. SafeGuardS 172.25 includes a full list of the prohibited ingredients with their Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers.
Stakeholders are encouraged to refer to the original SafeGuardS 172.25 for more details.
SGS cosmetics and hygiene product services
Through a global network of state-of-the-art laboratories, SGS offers comprehensive testing and certification solutions for cosmetics, household care, absorbent hygiene and disinfectant products. Their experts verify safety and efficacy, simplifying market access while ensuring regulatory compliance. After all, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Learn more about SGS’s cosmetic and hygiene product services.
SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full California Enacts Musk Reduction Act Restricting Cosmetic Ingredients SafeGuardS.
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For further information, contact:
Aliyah Bobb
Regulatory Affairs Associate
Website: www.sgs.com/cosmetics
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