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Retinol Had No Limits in Most Countries Until the EU Set Them in 2024

Retinol is probably the most recommended ingredient in skincare. Dermatologists recommend it. Beauty editors rank it above everything else. K-Beauty brands put it in serums, creams, and sleeping masks. It has decades of published research behind it.

For most of that history, most countries did not regulate how much retinol a cosmetic product could contain. Canada had a limit (1.0% Retinol Equivalent), but Korea, Japan, China, the US, and the EU had none.

That changed in April 2024, when the EU adopted Regulation 2024/996 and set concentration limits well below Canada's. We checked our database to see how this compares across 10 countries.

What retinol is

Retinol is a form of vitamin A. In skincare, it promotes cell turnover — old skin cells shed faster, new ones replace them. This is why retinol is used for fine lines, uneven skin tone, acne, and texture. It is one of the few cosmetic ingredients with clinical evidence supporting its anti-aging claims.

Retinol is not a single ingredient. It belongs to a family of vitamin A derivatives called retinoids. The ones most relevant to cosmetics:

Retinoid INCI name Strength Prescription needed?
Tretinoin Retinoic Acid Strongest Yes (prescription drug)
Retinal Retinal (Retinaldehyde) Strong No
Retinol Retinol Moderate No
Retinyl Palmitate Retinyl Palmitate Mild No
Retinyl Acetate Retinyl Acetate Mild No

Tretinoin (retinoic acid) is the active form that skin cells actually use. The other forms need to convert into retinoic acid in the skin: Retinyl Palmitate → Retinol → Retinal → Retinoic Acid. Each conversion step loses some potency, which is why Retinol is milder than Retinal, and Retinyl Palmitate is milder than Retinol.

Regulation by country

We checked the regulatory status of Retinol, Retinyl Acetate, and Retinyl Palmitate across our 10-country database.

Market Retinol Retinyl Acetate Retinyl Palmitate
EU 0.05% RE (body) / 0.3% RE (other) Same Same
Canada 1.0% RE 1.0% RE 1.0% RE
Korea No limit No limit No limit
Japan No limit No limit No limit
China No limit No limit No limit
Taiwan No limit No limit No limit
ASEAN No limit No limit No limit
Brazil No limit No limit No limit
Argentina No limit No limit No limit
US No limit No limit No limit

RE = Retinol Equivalent. This is a conversion unit that accounts for the different potencies of retinol and its ester forms.

Only two markets have concentration limits. The EU set limits in 2024 (effective November 2025 for new products). Canada has a higher limit of 1.0% RE. The remaining 8 markets — including Korea, Japan, China, and the US — have no retinol-specific concentration limits at all.

What the EU did

The EU's Regulation 2024/996 (adopted April 3, 2024) added Retinol, Retinyl Acetate, and Retinyl Palmitate to Annex III of the Cosmetics Regulation. Before this, they were completely unregulated in the EU.

The new rules:

Concentration limits: - Body lotions: maximum 0.05% Retinol Equivalent - All other leave-on and rinse-off products (serums, creams, cleansers): maximum 0.3% Retinol Equivalent

Mandatory labeling: - All products containing these ingredients must display: "Contains Vitamin A. Consider your daily intake before use."

Timeline: - November 1, 2025: new products must comply - May 1, 2027: all existing products must comply or be withdrawn

Why they did it: The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) concluded that retinol in cosmetics is safe at these concentrations. The concern was not that retinol is dangerous on its own, but that consumers may be getting too much vitamin A from multiple sources — food, supplements, and skincare combined. The limits are a precaution against total vitamin A overexposure, not a statement that retinol is unsafe.

Retinal is not covered

One retinoid is not covered by the EU regulation: Retinal (Retinaldehyde).

Retinal sits one conversion step closer to the active form (retinoic acid) than retinol. It is considered more potent than retinol. But because the EU regulation specifically names only Retinol, Retinyl Acetate, and Retinyl Palmitate, retinal is exempt.

Some brands have already responded. Medik8, a British skincare brand, discontinued two of its six EU retinol products and redirected consumers toward its retinaldehyde line, including its bestselling Crystal Retinal Serum.

This matters for K-Beauty too. Korean brands can sell retinol at any concentration in Korea, but exporting to the EU now requires compliance with the new limits (in effect since November 2025). Brands that already use retinal — or lower concentrations of retinol — have an easier path.

Why Korea has no retinol limit

Korea's MFDS does not set a concentration limit for retinol or its derivatives in cosmetics. Neither does Japan, China, or the US FDA.

This does not mean these countries consider retinol less seriously. It means they have not determined that a concentration limit is necessary. The EU's concern is specifically about total vitamin A intake from multiple sources — food, supplements, and skincare combined. Other regulators have not reached the same conclusion.

For K-Beauty consumers, this means Korean retinol products may contain higher concentrations than what the EU now allows. This is legal, and the products are not unsafe — they are formulated under a regulatory framework that does not cap retinol concentration. If you are concerned about vitamin A intake from multiple sources, checking the concentration on the product (if disclosed) is the only way to know.

How to find retinol on ingredient lists

Retinol and its derivatives appear under their INCI names. On a K-Beauty product, look for:

  • Retinol — the standard form, moderate potency
  • Retinyl Palmitate — milder, often used in sunscreens and moisturizers as a skin conditioner
  • Retinyl Acetate — similar to Retinyl Palmitate
  • Retinal (also listed as Retinaldehyde) — stronger than retinol, not covered by EU limits

Position on the ingredient list matters. If retinol appears near the end of the list, the concentration is low. If it appears in the upper third, the product contains a meaningful amount. For more on how ingredient list position relates to concentration, see our article on what percentage claims on K-Beauty labels actually mean.

Our database tracks 23 retinoid variants across 10 countries. For a regulatory comparison of how different countries handle the same ingredients differently, including cases where ingredients legal in Korea are restricted or banned in Europe, see our earlier analysis.

Methodology and Sources

Regulatory data was retrieved from a database of 21,796 cosmetic ingredients with regulatory records spanning 10 countries. The database contains regulatory entries for Retinyl Acetate and Retinyl Palmitate in the EU and Canada. Retinol itself does not have a separate regulatory entry in our database, but is covered by the same EU regulation (2024/996) that restricts its ester forms.

EU regulatory details are based on Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 of April 3, 2024, amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. The SCCS opinions referenced are SCCS/1576/16 (2016) and SCCS/1639/21 (2022). Compliance timelines are from the Official Journal of the European Union.

The Medik8 reformulation is reported by BeautyMatter (August 2025).

The database is available as an API at K-Beauty Cosmetic Ingredients on RapidAPI.

Important Notice: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not legal, regulatory, or medical advice. Cosmetic regulations change frequently — always verify current status against official sources before making business or personal decisions. For full terms, see our Disclaimer.

Decoded Korea publishes data-driven analysis of Korean cosmetic ingredients, chemical regulations, and safety data.

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