Europe Monitoring Program to Assess Impact of Reach Restrictions Finds Low Levels of D4, D5 And D6

In January of 2018, the European Union issued a REACH restriction on the use of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) in wash-off personal care products (PCPs). In January of 2019, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) proposed a new restriction, on the use of D4, D5 and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) in leave-on personal care and consumer and professional products. The goal of these restrictions is to reduce the amount of D4, D5, and D6 being released to the aquatic environment by restricting their use in personal care and consumer and professional products.