Short answer: borax is not banned outright in the UK, but it can no longer be sold to the public as a household product. It can still be bought for professional, industrial and laboratory use.
Why Borax Was Restricted
In 2010 the EU reclassified borax (sodium tetraborate) and other borates as toxic for reproduction, category 1B, hazard statement H360FD. Substances in that class cannot be supplied to the general public in mixtures above set concentration limits. The UK carried this into its own GB CLP and REACH rules after Brexit, so the position in Great Britain is the same today.
What Is Still Allowed
- Supply of borax as a raw material for professional, trade and industrial use
- Use in laboratories, schools’ science departments and research
- Use as a flux by jewellers and metalworkers, as a glaze material by potters, and as a timber treatment by restorers
What Is Not Allowed
- Selling borax as a household laundry or cleaning product
- Selling borax for making children’s slime
- Selling borax as a food additive or supplement
What to Use at Home Instead
For laundry and cleaning, use borax substitute, a sodium carbonate and bicarbonate blend with a similar pH that anyone can buy. See borax vs borax substitute.
Buying Borax Legally
We sell 99.9% pure borax powder for professional use, labelled to GB CLP standards with a Safety Data Sheet.
This page is general information, not legal advice.