CEN Issues EN 71-7:2025 for Finger Paints

SafeGuardSHardgoodsNovember 20, 2025

SG 169/25

The European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation, CEN) publishes latest version of finger paint standard – EN 71-7:2025.

In October 2025, CEN issued EN 71-7:2025 ‘Finger Paints – Requirements and Test Methods’. This updated standard specifies requirements for substances and materials, markings, labeling and containers used exclusively for finger paints.

EN 71-7:2025 forms part of the EN 71 toy safety series, which covers Parts 1-5, 7, 8 and 10-20.

Key changes are summarized in Table 1.

Section to EN 71-7:2025	Highlights
3 ‘Terms and definitions’	Introduces several new terms and their definitions, including ‘Booster substance’: a substance used for increasing the efficacy of preservatives
4.6 ‘pH value’	Replaces EN ISO 787-9 with EN ISO 19396-1:2025 for pH values
4.9 ‘Booster substances’	Adds new section specifying criteria for these substances
Annex A ‘Non-exhaustive list of colorants which are used in finger paints, and need to be in compliance with both general and specific purity requirements’	Modifies informative section
Annex B ‘List of preservatives allowed for use in finger paints’	Revises and separates Table B.1 ‘Preservatives’ into two tables: Table B.1 ‘List of preservatives allowed for use in finger paints.’ These 11 substances are derived from cosmetic preservatives and have been reviewed for finger paints Table B.2 ‘List of further preservatives allowed for use in finger paints.’ These 32 substances are derived from cosmetic preservatives and accepted for use in finger paints
Annex C ‘Ingredients used in the manufacturing of finger paints’	Introduces three examples of booster substances

Table 1

According to EN 71-7:2025, this standard will be given the status of a national standard by April 2026, with conflicting national standards being withdrawn no later than October 2026. 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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