SGS : CEN Publishes Amendment 1 to EN 71-7 ‘Finger Paints’

SAFEGUARDS | Toys & Juvenile Products NO. 002/18

In September 2017, the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation, CEN) published EN 71-7:2014+A1:2017, the new toy safety standard for 'Finger paints'.

This new standard is now available on a commercial basis at national standards organizations, such as the Danish Standards Foundation (Dansk Standard [1]) and the Estonian Center for Standardization (Eesti Standardikeskus, EVS [2])

EN 71-7:2014+A1:2017 contains a number of important changes, including the following:

1. The use of H- and P-phrase information from Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 (the 'CLP' Regulation) for certain dangerous substances and mixtures in finger paints (§ 5.2.1.2 Labeling Phrases)
2. Finger paints that are supplied in powder form are to additionally bear the following warning statement: 'Warning. Mix with water in accordance with the instructions before giving to a child. Avoid inhalation of the powder.' (§ 5.2.1.2 Labeling Phrases)
3. Modification to the list of preservatives that are allowed to be used in finger paints (Annex B, Table B.1). This includes:

• Deleting seven substances from EN 71-7:2014:
  • Paraformaldehyde (ref. no. 5), pyrithione zinc (7), phenylparaben (10), triclosan (19), polyaminopropyl biguanide (22), mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-isothiazol-3(2H)-one (CIT) and 2-methylisothiazol-3(H)-one (MIT) with magnesium chloride and magnesium nitrate (31) and MIT (32)

• Adding two sets of new substances in EN 71-7:2014+A1:2017. These are:

  • Six parabens (butyl-, propyl-, sodium propyl-, potassium propyl-, sodium butyl- and potassium butyl-) and a completely new set of criteria for maximum concentration (ref. no. 8)

  • p-Chloro-m-cresol[4-chloro-3-methylphenol] (ref. no. 38)

According to EN 71-7:2014+A1:2017, this standard will be given the status of a national standard by March 2018 and conflicting standards are to be withdrawn by this date at the very latest. This standard is expected to be harmonized under Directive 2009/48/EC [3], the so-called Toy Safety Directive (TSD), upon official acceptance by the European Commission (EC) and by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

A delay with harmonization of EN 71-7:2014+A1:2017 is expected after its publication due to an urgent modification required to ensure proper consideration of the Cosmetics Regulation ((EC) 1223/2009) when selecting colorants for use in finger paints. In an exceptional procedure, the modification was to be accepted through a four-week approval process. This modification will amend Annex A by adding the sentence in bold text:

Specific Requirements

When using the colorants of Table A.1 in finger paints it is important to apply the restrictions and specifications set out in column 6 of this table. Certain restrictions, e.g. those referring to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, may mean that the particular colorant is unsuitable for use in a finger paint.

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that your products comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive. We offer training, safety/risk assessment, technical documentation check, labelling review, testing according to harmonized standards, SVHC screening, inspections and audits. With the largest global network of toy experts and testing facilities around the world - around 20 toy labs worldwide including 3 EU Notified Bodies (France, Germany and Netherlands), SGS is the partner to trust. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information or visit our website

Next step:

Stakeholders are advised to comply with the latest requirements for the Toy Safety Directive (TSD) for the EU market.

For enquiries, please contact:

Hingwo TsangGlobal Information and Innovation Manager
t: +852 2774 7420

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