Scope
The loaded rows cover Schedule 6 impurity requirements for carbon black and carbon black (nano) colouring agents used in cosmetic products, and Schedule 7 mercury-preservative entries for eye products. The Group Standard also contains many prohibited, restricted, preservative, and UV-filter entries that are not converted to finished-product HMI rows unless a routeable numeric metal value is stated.
Exact limit and units
| Metal | Matrix | Limit | Unit | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total arsenic (As) | Carbon black and carbon black (nano) colourants | ⇐ 3 | ppm | colourant impurity profile |
| Total lead (Pb) | Carbon black and carbon black (nano) colourants | ⇐ 10 | ppm | colourant impurity profile |
| Total mercury (Hg) | Carbon black and carbon black (nano) colourants | ⇐ 1 | ppm | colourant impurity profile |
| Mercury (Hg) | Thiomersal in eye products | 0.007 | % of mercury | preservative concentration |
| Mercury (Hg) | Phenylmercuric salts in eye products | 0.007 | % of mercury | preservative concentration |
How tested
The Group Standard states schedule conditions and concentration limits but does not print a dedicated analytical method for these heavy-metal schedule entries in the extracted text.
Enforcement posture
Cosmetic products covered by the Group Standard must comply with the applicable Schedule 4 to 8 restrictions and conditions. Nonconforming components, colouring agents, preservatives, or UV filters fall outside the allowed group-standard conditions.
History of changes
The Cosmetic Products Group Standard 2020 was issued under the HSNO Act and the source is consolidated and current as of 1 January 2026. The regulatory history table shows the 2024 amendment commencing on 1 January 2026 and the 2025 correction commencing on 31 December 2025.
How it compares
The carbon black rows are colourant impurity limits, not general finished-product cosmetic limits. The eye-product row is a preservative-use limit and should not be used as a general mercury allowance for cosmetics.
Sources
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.