UK REACH expands SVHC Candidate List to include n-hexane and bisphenol AF (BPAF), triggering immediate supply chain notification duties for body art studios importing jewelry and inks. Facilities must audit suppliers, request compliance documentation, and prepare 45-day response protocols for consumer SVHC inquiries. Non-compliance risks enforcement action and insurance denial.
What the full article covers
On March 18, 2026, the UK proposed 15 new SVHCs to its Candidate List under UK REACH, two directly impact body art supply chains: n-hexane (solvent residue in pigments) and bisphenol AF, BPAF (plasticizer in epoxy molds and ink bottle polymers).
Under UK REACH Article 33, any article containing an SVHC above 0.1% w/w triggers a 45-day response obligation when a consumer requests safety information.
The UK's SVHC list now diverges from the EU's 253-substance Candidate List, studios serving both markets must track two separate frameworks.
Studios holding >1 tonne/year of an affected article must notify ECHA via the SCIP database under the Waste Framework Directive.
Authorization pathway timeline is typically 18–24 months from Candidate List placement, begin supplier diversification now, before authorization deadlines force supply disruption.
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First published on poliinternational.com. This is a summary of the original engineering article.
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