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Posted on Originally published at poliinternational.com

Phthalates Under the Knife: New EU Test Methods That Quietly Raise the Bar for Body Art Materials

EU phthalate rules now hinge on EN 17681 test methods and a 0.1% (1,000 mg/kg) limit, forcing body art studios to demand hard data on grips and jewelry.

What the full article covers

  • A new harmonised EU test method (EN 17681:2025) now defines how phthalate limits in plastics and rubbers are measured in practice.

  • The operative threshold for most restricted phthalates in articles is 1,000 mg/kg (0.1% by weight) of the plasticised or homogeneous material.

  • Body jewelry, grips, clamps, cables and other plastic components are now squarely in scope when they contact skin or mucosa for prolonged periods.

  • Studios must demand phthalate-specific test reports stating concentration in mg/kg, not generic “REACH compliant” certificates.

  • Cross‑border studios need to reconcile EU phthalate limits with US CPSIA and California Prop 65 warnings for overlapping substances.

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First published on poliinternational.com. This is a summary of the original engineering article.

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