UK REACH: 15 New Substances Added to the British Candidate List
The first substantial update of the UK REACH Candidate List since Brexit adds 15 substances already known to companies operating under EU REACH
15 Jul 2026On 15 June 2026, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the competent authority for the UK REACH regulation, updated the UK REACH Candidate List by including 15 new substances and groups of substances of very high concern (SVHC). This is the first substantial update of the British list after Brexit.
A particularly relevant aspect for companies operating both in the European market and in the British one is that none of the added substances represents a novelty from the European regulatory point of view. All 15 substances had in fact already been identified as SVHC and included in the EU Candidate List (ECHA) between 2021 and 2025. The British update therefore reduces the regulatory gap that had been created between the UK REACH system and the European one after the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
Among the substances concerned are, among others:
- Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA);
- Lysmeral;
- Tetraglyme;
- Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide;
- N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide;
- Tris(2-methoxyethoxy)vinylsilane;
- several substances classified as toxic to reproduction, carcinogenic or mutagenic.
The inclusion of such substances in the UK Candidate List entails the application of the obligations provided for by UK REACH, including:
- communication of the presence of SVHC in articles;
- possible notification of substances present in articles;
- information obligations along the supply chain for substances and mixtures;
- updating of safety information and relevant documentation.
For many European companies this update will not necessarily require a new activity of identification of the substances, since all the SVHC newly included in the United Kingdom were already subject to monitoring within the framework of EU REACH. However, companies exporting products to Great Britain should verify that the evaluations carried out for the European market have also been extended to the specific obligations provided for by UK REACH. The update also confirms the willingness of the British authorities to progressively realign their Candidate List with the decisions adopted at European level, while maintaining a formally distinct regulatory system.