21 CFR Part 700

Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 700 through 740 contains the FDA's regulatory requirements for cosmetics. These regulations implement the statutory authority granted by the FD&C Act and MoCRA.

Part 700 covers general provisions including prohibited and restricted ingredients. For example, 21 CFR 700.11 prohibits bithionol, 700.13 prohibits mercury compounds (with limited exceptions), 700.14 prohibits vinyl chloride as an ingredient or propellant, 700.15 prohibits zirconium-containing complexes in aerosol cosmetics, 700.16 prohibits chloroform as an ingredient, 700.18 prohibits chlorofluorocarbon propellants, and 700.23 prohibits methylene chloride.

Part 701 addresses labeling requirements including ingredient declaration (using INCI names in descending order of predominance), warning statements, and fair packaging requirements. Part 710 covers voluntary cosmetic registration (now mandatory under MoCRA), and Part 720 covers voluntary product listing (also now mandatory).

The CFR is updated annually and published by the Government Publishing Office. FDA periodically amends these parts through notice-and-comment rulemaking, and MoCRA has triggered significant new rulemaking expected to update these sections through 2026.