Hand and surface disinfectants defined as biocidal products in Product Type (PT) 1 and 2 fall under the EU biocidal products Regulation (BPR). Companies placing a biocidal product on the market in the EU must source their active substance or biocidal product from suppliers listed on Article 95 of the BPR, limiting the access to the market only to companies only included on this list.

Deciding whether a product is classed as a cosmetic, biocide or medicinal product can be a complex task. Many products have dual purposes such as antibacterial hand washes and as such can fall under different regulations. Our new whitepaper by Dr Stacey Webster aims to provide guidance on borderline products within Europe and provide a comparison to the United States with an emphasis on soaps, hand washes, cleansers and wipes.

Under the Biocidal Product Regulation (BPR) it is required to indicate the spectrum of viruses on which the product was proven to be efficient when tested using specific methods in order to make a claim. Claims on specific organisms when they may give a false impression of superiority of a product compared to other products on the market are not allowed. In addition, such claims may shift the definition of a product from being biocide to being defined as medical.

The Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) adopted opinions supporting the approval of six active substances for several product-types (PT).

ECHA has been working on harmonizing and standardizing the way biocidal product families (BPFs) are handled.

The Biocidal Products Committee adopted its first opinions to support applications for Union authorisation for two products. It also adopted opinions on six active substances for use in disinfectants