SPEAC
Safe non-food consumer Products in the EU and China
Safe non-food consumer Products in the EU and China
Sunglasses are products which offer the user protection against damage to the eyes due to exposure to sunlight during general use including road use and driving.
The factsheet covers all afocal (“plano power”) sunglasses and clip-ons for general use intended for protection against solar radiation. It does not cover:
Products which are designed to offer protection to its wearer are regulated under the Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is classified in three categories depending on the risk against which they protect. Sunglasses for general use are found in category I.
NB: For PPE category I, EU law does not foresee mandatory certification.
The manufacturer shall carry out a risk assessment of the protective sunglasses in order to identify the essential health and safety requirements from Annex II in the PPE regulation that apply to the eyewear. These will address the intrinsic safety of the eyewear to ensure that it doesn’t injure its user. They will also establish requirements for the intended protection so the equipment will protect the user adequately.
The most obvious hazard posed by a pair of sunglasses is that it doesn’t protect the user adequately against solar radiation. This can be caused by use of improper material that lets through too much radiation, be it in general or in certain bandwidths (colours). It could also be caused by poor design or poor fitting so the protective glasses don’t cover the wearer’s eyes adequately.
In addition, sunglasses may present a risk to the wearer just by being worn, for instance:
a. Inappropriate constituent materials – dangerous chemicals can cause short- and long-term adverse health effects if they exceed allowed limits;
b. Unsatisfactory surface condition of all parts in contact with the user, for example, sharp edges and abrasive materials leading to minor injuries from normal wearing.
Specific examples of measures taken against dangerous swim equipment and buoyant aids offered for sale in the European Union are available on the Safety Gate website. Select the risk type ‘Drowning’ in the search page. A better understanding of mistakes made in the safety assessment of such products, or their manufacture can help avoid their repetition.
These products are regulated by the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Sunglasses are PPE, Category I products. The legislation lays down the requirements for the design and manufacture of PPE that are necessary to allow these products to be sold and used in the EU market.
Other guidance is also available:
“Harmonised standards” exist in the EU for sunglasses. A product claiming a particular level of protection and complying with those harmonised standards is presumed to be in conformity with the essential health and safety requirements set out in the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation /EU) 2016/425 if the standards are cited in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Further information on, and the list of harmonised standards for PPE is available from here.
Note: The site of CEN (the European standardisation organisation) provides links to the national standardisation bodies’ websites. In addition, the China Standards Information Services Network can be used to access European standards.
The following harmonised standards can be applied to sunglasses:
EN ISO 12312-1:2013 + A1:2015
The standard describes performance and safety requirements for sunglasses for general use.
While manufacturer’s need to familiarise themselves with all the laws which apply to their specific products, the following summarises some further key applicable laws:
The following are obligatory:
In addition, the following information must be provided with the sunglasses:
a. Instructions for use and cleaning. Cleaning and cleaning agents recommended by manufacturers must have no adverse effect on the sunglasses when applied in accordance with the relevant instructions;
b. The significance of any markings;
c. The risk against which the helmet is designed to protect;
d. The reference to Regulation for personal protective equipment and, where applicable, the references to other Union harmonisation legislation;
e. References to the relevant harmonised standard(s) used, including the date of the standard(s), or references to other technical specifications used;
f. The internet address where the EU declaration of conformity can be accessed.
he information in points (d), (e) and (f) need not accompany the product if it is supplied with a copy of the EU declaration of conformity.
To ensure safety of sunglasses, there is also a range of general requirements to be fulfilled. These are explained in the following factsheets and need to be read in conjunction with this factsheet:
You may also visit the SPEAC ACADEMY to learn more about the EU Safety requirements.
The provided information was updated in 2025. Please note that some of the provided information could change during possible subsequent revisions of legislation, standards, and guidance documents. For any updates of official information on the EU product safety rules, please follow the Link to the webpage of the European Commission.
This document was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of SPEAC project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.