A legal limit on what's in your clothes
In the European Union, a T-shirt has an ingredient rule. Since November 2020, any clothing, shoes or skin-contact textile sold to shoppers there has to stay under set limits for dozens of chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects or fertility harm.
The US has nothing like it for adult clothing. There's no federal limit on formaldehyde in what you wear, for example. Europe caps it.
Those limits live in REACH, the EU's main chemical law. European clothing's reputation for being cleaner starts there.
What the EU limits in clothing
In 2018 the European Commission added a clothing rule to REACH, known as Entry 72. It took effect on November 1, 2020, and covers clothing, accessories, footwear and any other textile that touches your skin the way clothing does. Some of the limits, in the Commission's own numbers:
- Formaldehyde: 75 milligrams per kilogram of fabric. Mills use it for wrinkle-free and permanent-press finishes. Jackets and coats had a looser limit until November 2023. Now they meet the same one.
- Heavy metals: cadmium, chromium VI, arsenic and lead, each capped at 1 milligram per kilogram that can leach out of the material.
- Phthalates: the plastic softeners found in prints and coatings, capped at 1,000 milligrams per kilogram.
- Tar chemicals: certain PAHs, a family of chemicals found in coal tar, capped at 1 milligram per kilogram.
A separate rule, Entry 43, bans azo dyes that can break down into cancer-linked chemicals called aromatic amines. Azo dyes are a large family of synthetic dyes, and most of them are allowed. The banned ones can't be used above 30 milligrams per kilogram in anything that stays against your skin for long stretches: clothing, bedding, towels.
From October 10, 2026, the EU also restricts PFHxA, one of the PFAS forever chemicals, in clothing sold to the public. The limit is 25 parts per billion. A much broader proposal to restrict thousands of PFAS at once is moving through the EU's chemicals agency. Its risk committee backed it in March 2026, and its economics committee is due to finish its opinion by the end of 2026.
Where the rules fall short
Like California's rules, the EU's limits cover everything sold there, wherever it was made. A sweater sewn in Asia and sold in Paris has to meet the same limits as one sewn in Porto.
Enforcement is where things slip. In 2025, researchers in Italy published a study in the medical journal Contact Dermatitis. They bought 111 clothing, textile and shoe items, in stores and online, and tested them. Sixty-three percent held at least one of the chemicals they were looking for, and 24 percent would go over a limit the EU has proposed for bisphenols, a family of chemicals that can copy the hormone estrogen.
The researchers judged that the bisphenol levels they found didn't pose a risk to shoppers. The products that worried them most were the ones sold online. A strict rule on paper only works when someone checks the goods coming in.
Read more about that study in our piece Your Clothes Have an Ingredient List, Too.
What making it in Europe adds
Making clothes in the EU puts the factory under EU rules as well as the product.
- The dye house. Large EU plants that dye or pre-treat textiles, those handling more than 10 tonnes a day, need an environmental permit. Since 2022, those permits follow EU standards written for the textile industry, with a section on dyeing and on cleaning up wastewater.
- The paper trail. An EU factory is close to the EU's own inspectors. When the fabric, dye and sewing all happen inside the EU, a brand has fewer borders to lose track of what went into a garment.
The label stays specific when the piece reaches you. US labeling rules don't accept "Made in the European Union" on clothing. The tag has to name the country, so look for Portugal, Italy or Lithuania. Most of the EU-made pieces we list come from those three.
How the rules compare
| European Union | US (federal) | |
|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde in clothing | Limited to 75 mg/kg | No limit |
| Heavy metals in clothing | Cadmium, chromium VI, arsenic and lead limited | Lead limited in kids' products only |
| Azo dyes that can release cancer-linked chemicals | Banned in skin-contact textiles | No limit |
| PFAS in clothing | PFHxA restricted since October 2026; broader ban proposed | No federal limit (some states ban it) |
See how the US rules work in our guide to Made in USA.
How to read a Made in Europe tag
Before you buy
- Look for the country. A real EU-made tag names one: Portugal, Italy, Lithuania, Spain.
- Check where the garment was sewn, as well as the fabric. "Italian fabric" or "fabric woven in Portugal" tells you about the mill. The sewing may have happened somewhere else.
- Be pickier online. The 2025 study found the biggest problems in products bought online. Buy from brands that name their factory.
- Check the fiber first. EU rules limit chemicals. They don't turn polyester into linen.
Why we flag it
The clothes you wear are a health choice, the same way food is. Europe treats them a little more that way than anywhere else, with an actual list of what a garment can't contain. A piece made there was made inside that system, from the dye house to the label.
We show the badge for that reason. It never changes a Toxome Score, which comes from the fabric itself. It's one more fact to have before you get dressed.
Keep reading
Sources
- European Commission. (2018). Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/1513 amending Annex XVII to REACH (Entry 72, CMR substances in clothing, textiles and footwear).
- European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Annex XVII to REACH, Entry 43: Azocolourants and azodyes.
- European Commission. (2024). Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 amending Annex XVII to REACH as regards PFHxA (Entry 79).
- European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) restriction proposal.
- Lavalle, R., Agnello, M., Mua, R., et al. (2025). Unveiling the Chemical Safety of Clothing Articles, Textiles and Footwear With Regard to the Presence of CMR Substances, Endocrine Disruptors and Skin Sensitizers Under EU Regulatory Restrictions. Contact Dermatitis.
- European Commission. (2022). Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2508, Best Available Techniques conclusions for the textiles industry.
- Federal Trade Commission. Threading Your Way Through the Labeling Requirements Under the Textile and Wool Acts.
FAQ
Yes. The EU limits formaldehyde, heavy metals, phthalates and dozens of other chemicals linked to cancer or fertility harm in clothing, bans certain azo dyes, and restricts PFHxA. The US has no federal formaldehyde limit for clothing and mostly regulates chemicals in children's products.
Clothing sold in the EU has to meet the same chemical limits wherever it was made. Making it in Portugal or Italy also puts the factory under EU environmental rules, including permits for large dye houses. For what's in the garment, check the fiber and the Toxome Score.
REACH is the EU's main chemical law. Its Annex XVII lists substances restricted in products, including Entry 72 for clothing and footwear, Entry 43 for azo dyes and Entry 79 for PFHxA.
Partly. Since October 10, 2026, the EU restricts PFHxA, one PFAS, in clothing sold to the public. A broader proposal to restrict thousands of PFAS is still moving through the EU's chemicals agency.
No. Origin and process badges come from what the brand states about each product. We don't audit factories, so these badges are information, not verification. They never change a Toxome score, which comes from what the garment is made of.
