CEN Publishes EN 71-5:2025 for Chemical Toys (Sets) Other Than Experimental Sets

SafeGuardSToys and Juvenile ProductsJanuary 19, 2026

SG 008/26

The CEN has published EN 71-5:2025, the latest version of the standard for substances and mixtures used in chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets.

In December 2025, the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) issued EN 71-5:2025 ‘Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets’. This updated standard specifies the requirements and test methods for substances and mixtures used in these products.

These substances and mixtures are:

Those classified as dangerous under Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 ‘Classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP Regulation, current consolidated version to September 2025)
Those for which excessive amounts could be harmful to children and which are not classified as dangerous under the CLP Regulation
Other chemical substances and mixtures supplied with the chemical toy

Key changes in EN 71-5:2025 compared with EN 71-5:2015 are summarized in Table 1.

Clause to EN 71-5:2025	Key changes
1 ‘Scope’	Expands the number of product categories from five to six by including slime kits
3’ Terms and definitions’	Adds several new terms and their definitions, including a) slime kit, b) preservative and c) booster substance (a substance used for increasing the efficacy of preservatives)
6.2 ‘Embedding sets’	Permits preservatives to be used with only the three booster substances specified in Annex F
7.3 ‘Water-based paints and lacquers’	Permits preservatives to be used with only the three booster substances specified in Annex F
8 ‘Slime kits’	Adds new clause for these toys: Clarifies that the requirements for chemical substances apply to the supplied ingredients as well as to the final play slime after it has been mixed according to the instructions States that both the supplied ingredients and the final play slime comply with the chemical substance requirements, provided that the supplied ingredients already meet the requirements applicable to the final play slime Emphasizes that the substances and mixtures provided with the slime kit must not be classified as dangerous under the CLP Regulation, except for the hazard classes specified in the standard Indicates that only preservatives for use in food or leave-on cosmetics are permitted. However, a footnote indicates that the list of preservatives suitable for finger paints in EN 71-7 may also be used, provided that the differences in exposure scenarios and product composition are taken into account Permits preservatives to be used with only the three booster substances specified in Annex F Permits the use of colorants and coloring materials under certain conditions Specifies requirements for marking, first aid information and safety rules
10.3 ‘Advice for adult supervision‘	Adds specific advice requirements for adult supervision for certain slime kits
Annex D ‘Background and rationale for this European Standard’	Modifies rationale for primary packaging (D.2) and benzene (D.4) Introduces rationale for guidance on giving advice for adult supervision (D.6)
Annex E ‘Non-exhaustive list of colorants which need to be in compliance with both the general and specific purity requirements‘.	Introduces annex containing two tables of colorants with specifications: Table E.1 ‘Organic colorants’, with 45 substances Table E.2 ‘Non-organic colorants’, with 16 substances
Annex F ‘Booster substances’	Adds annex emphasizing that all preserved chemical toy combinations of preservative and booster substance are acceptable, subject to meeting certain conditions Lists three typical booster substances

Table 1

According to EN 71-5:2025, this standard will gain national standard status by June 2026, with conflicting national standards being withdrawn by this date at the latest. It is expected to be harmonized under Directive 2009/48/EC on toy safety upon official acceptance by the European Commission and publication in the Official Journal of the EU (OJEU).

Please also see our updated overview on EU toys standards to be revised in 2025 (SafeGuardS 016/25).

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