The Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA) requires all art materials to be evaluated for chronic health hazards. Materials posing such risks must have appropriate warning labels. This law applies to all art materials, not just those for children. Under U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations (16 CFR §1500.14(b)(8)), art materials must undergo LHAMA assessment and labeling in accordance with ASTM D4236.

On January 15, 2025, China’s National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) issued a notice announcing the release of three draft cosmetic standards aimed at further enhancing the country’s technical framework for cosmetics. The drafts are now open for public consultation, with the deadline for submitting comments set for February 24, 2026.

On January 12, 2026, the New Jersey State Senate passed Bill S1221, officially titled the Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act.

Recently, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has approved “Words or Symbols” informing the purchaser of PFAS in a product.

Effective January 1, 2026, the supporting standard for China RoHS implements its Amendment No. 1.

In 2025, the global Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) experienced explosive growth! On December 23, the International EPD System (IES) released statistics showing that the number of effective registrations exceeded 18,000, with 9,395 new additions throughout the year.

On 12 December 2025, the Official Journal of the European Union published the new EU Toy Safety Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/2509). This Regulation will replace Directive 2009/48/EC and will apply from 1 August 2026.

On December 15, 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Member State Committee (MSC) unanimously agreed to list n-hexane as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC). Additionally, 4,4'-[2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl)ethylidene]diphenol (BPAF) and its salts have been added to the SVHC candidate list without committee discussion.

On 12 December 2025, the Official Journal of the European Union published Directive (EU) 2025/2456, which amends Directive 2011/65/EU (commonly known as the RoHS Directive).

On December 15, 2025, the European Commission released a draft aimed at unifying the format and technical specifications for battery labels, in alignment with the implementation of the EU Battery and Waste Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.