2‑Ethylhexyl 2‑ethylhexanoate Added to Schedule 1

Summary#

• The Order Adding a Toxic Substance to Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 adds the chemical hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, 2-ethylhexyl ester (molecular formula C16H32O2) to Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
• The Order was registered on March 13, 2026 and published in the Canada Gazette on March 25, 2026. It does not itself impose new rules, but it lets federal ministers move forward with risk-management actions that focus on pollution prevention.

What it does#

• Adds the substance hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, 2-ethylhexyl ester (C16H32O2) to Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
• Enables the ministers to develop and propose risk-management measures for this substance that prioritize pollution prevention. Those measures could include restrictions or prohibitions, but only if the ministers later decide to propose them.
• Does not create any immediate regulatory requirements, costs, or limits for businesses or consumers by itself.
• Notes from the assessment: the substance was concluded to meet the human health concern in the screening assessment (linked to effects seen for a related chemical).

Who's affected#

• Consumers who use cosmetics that may contain the substance, especially products listed in assessments such as foot lotion and face make-up.
• The cosmetics industry and suppliers of ingredients used in personal-care products.
• Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, which will lead any future risk-management work.
• Small businesses that make or import cosmetic products could be affected later if specific risk-management rules are proposed. The Order itself does not impose changes now.
• It is unclear how many other industries or products in Canada are affected because past surveys reported low or no manufacturing/import above reporting thresholds.

Why it matters#

• The screening assessment found a potential human-health concern tied to this substance (using a closely related chemical as the health benchmark). That matters for people who use products that could give daily skin exposure.
• The substance was reported in a mandatory survey as not being manufactured in or imported into Canada above 100 kilograms for the reporting year cited. Still, it is present in some cosmetics sold in Canada. Current Canadian guidance (the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist) already restricts its concentration in some products to 0.1%, 0.5%, or 0.6% depending on the product.
• Adding the substance to Part 2 gives the government a clear legal path to propose pollution-prevention actions or limits later. Any future rules would go through consultation and economic analysis before being adopted.
• International context: the European Union has effectively prohibited its use in cosmetics because it is treated as a reproductive toxicant unless a safety evaluation finds otherwise. This Order could lead Canada to consider similar or different measures depending on its own risk-management decisions.