Beauty ingredient · Hair dye
p-Phenylenediamine (PPD)
A coal-tar-derived oxidative hair dye; a common cause of allergic reactions to hair color.
- Coal tar
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A regulatory warning or restriction somewhere, or strong evidence of harm at typical intake. The concern level sets how many points p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Contact allergenRegulatory
Restricted in EU hair dyes with mandatory warnings; US coal-tar hair dyes must carry a caution statement and patch-test advice. [1][2]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Restricted | Allowed only in hair dyes with concentration limits and warnings (Annex III). | — | [1] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (8)
- ppd
- phenylenediamine
- 1 4 benzenediamine
- p phenylenediamine
- toluene 2 5 diamine
- para phenylenediamine
- p phenylenediamine ppd
- toluene 2 5 diamine sulfate
Sources
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Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products
“cosmetic products shall not contain any of the following: (a) prohibited substances — prohibited substances listed in Annex II”
eur-lex.europa.eu
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“Color additives, with the exception of coal-tar hair dyes, need FDA approval before they’re permitted for use in cosmetics.”
fda.gov