On January 22, 2025, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) released a significant update to the Philippine Inventory of Chemicals and Chemical Substances (PICCS), adding 161 new chemicals to the official list. This update, detailed in DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2025-09, reflects ongoing efforts to regulate and monitor chemical substances used, imported, or manufactured in the country. 

Annual Revisions and Additions to the PICCS 

Under Section 5 of the Order, the PICCS is updated annually to include newly registered chemicals that meet the Pre-Manufacture and Pre-Importation Notification (PMPIN) requirements. The latest revision includes 96 new chemicals added in Calendar Year (CY) 2022 and 65 more in CY 2023, increasing the total number of listed substances from 22,277 to 22,438. Substances not listed in the PICCS require prior approval before they can be imported, processed, or distributed in the Philippines. Entities that submitted a Notice of Commencement before December 31 of the previous year will have their chemicals included in the following year’s update. 

Effective Date and Compliance Requirements 

The updated PICCS list is available on the website of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and the Online Permitting and Monitoring System (OPMS), allowing access to the latest regulatory information. As stated in Section 6, the new updates take effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation and upon acknowledgment by the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR). 

With increasing attention to environmental and safety regulations, keeping track of updates such as these remains essential to ensure compliance and responsible chemical management. More information can be found on the EMB Chemical Management Division website here. 

On 21 November 2024, the two-year grace period for cosmetic products to comply with the updated ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD) ended. The updates were introduced during the 36th ASEAN Cosmetic Committee (ACC) meeting and its related sessions in November 2022. Products that do not meet the updated standards must be withdrawn immediately. The amendments reflect the ASEAN region’s approach to aligning with global safety standards and protecting the health of consumers in its 10 member states.

Key Updates to the ACD

• Annex II – List of substances which must not form part of the composition of cosmetic products

A consolidated list of 37 substances previously banned in the EU, has been added to Annex II of the ACD. These include entries from EU regulations (2019/831, 2019/1966, 2021/850, 2021/1902) that are not currently used in ASEAN countries. Specific compounds such as perboric acid, sodium perborate, boron compounds, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), and p-BMHCA have also been included in Annex II.

• Titanium Dioxide Regulation

Revised safety criteria for the use of titanium dioxide as a colouring agent (Annex IV) and as a UV filter (Annex VII) have been adopted as per EU standards.

• Salicylic Acid Regulation

New limits have been introduced for salicylic acid in the Restricted Substance List (Annexes III) and in the Preservatives list (Annex VI), used in body creams, lotions, and other specific applications.

Implications for Industry

Cosmetic manufacturers, traders, and distributors were granted a two-year grace period to reformulate, test and phase out non-compliant products. With the end of this period concluded, compliance is now mandatory, ensuring that products meet updated safety requirements.

Detailed guidelines for compliance can be found here.