New substances added to REACH Candidate List

One of the substances recently added to the REACH list may be present in dyed leathers.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) updated the REACH Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) on 25th June 2025. This amendment added new three substances, as summarised below:

• 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl-3-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]trisiloxane (CAS: 17928-28-8) – used in cosmetics and personal care products, as well as in the manufacture of paints, coatings and adhesives
• decamethyltetrasiloxane (CAS: 141-62-8) – having uses which include personal care products and fragrances, in addition to the manufacture of polymers, adhesives and coatings
• reactive brown 51 – used as a textile treatment and dye, and which may also be present in dyed leathers.

The Candidate List is typically updated twice annually, in January and July, with the latest update bringing the total number of SVHCs to 250. Companies have six months after an addition to adhere to any legal obligations that may apply. This includes registering any products containing more than 0.1 per cent of any SVHCs on the ‘Substances of Concern in articles or complex articles (Products)’ database (SCIP) and submitting a notification to ECHA if more than one tonne of the SVHC is imported annually. Currently, the obligations for the three new substances apply within the European Union only, as the substances have not yet been classified as SVHCs under UK REACH.

All three substances are potentially relevant to consumer goods, so it is recommended that companies take steps to investigate whether they could be present above 0.1 per cent in their products. This may include obtaining declarations from suppliers or reviewing material safety data sheet (MSDS) information and production processes.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 3 of the September 2025 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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