Ingredient Index

Is Sulfoxaflor banned in Europe?

Restricted in EU

Restricted, not banned. The EU limited sulfoxaflor to permanent greenhouses in 2022 after concluding outdoor use posed a risk to bees. The US registers it broadly for field use as Isoclast.

CAS: 946578-00-3 Also seen as: Sulfoxaflor, Isoclast

What the EU does

Restricted to greenhouses. This is a restriction, not a full ban. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/686 limited sulfoxaflor to use in permanent greenhouses, after the Commission concluded that a risk to bees from outdoor uses could not be excluded. As of 19 May 2022, outdoor authorizations were removed.

EFSA had been unable to complete the risk assessment for bumble bees and solitary bees for outdoor uses, and sulfoxaflor, though not formally a neonicotinoid, acts on the same insect nervous-system target, which is why pollinator groups treated the outdoor removal as part of the wider bee-protection push.

Citation Commission Implementing Reg (EU) 2022/686 (sulfoxaflor restricted to permanent greenhouses, from 19 May 2022); Reg (EC) No 1107/2009, Article 21

What the US does

Registered for broad outdoor use. The US EPA registered sulfoxaflor products, marketed as Isoclast active in insecticides such as Transform and Closer, and in 2019 restored and expanded outdoor uses across many crops, including corn, soybeans, cotton, citrus, and strawberries, with pollinator-protection label conditions.

So the transatlantic split is one of degree: both regulators identified bee concerns, but the EU responded by pulling outdoor use while the US kept broad field use with label restrictions. On this site that keeps sulfoxaflor a "restricted in EU" story, never a "banned" one.

Citation US EPA sulfoxaflor registration (Isoclast); 2019 EPA decision restoring and expanding outdoor uses; 40 CFR 180.668 (tolerances)

Products that commonly contain it

Sulfoxaflor is a field and greenhouse insecticide, present through use rather than on labels:

US corn, soybeans, and cotton
Citrus, strawberries, and other fruit
EU greenhouse crops, its only permitted European use
Imported US produce, screened for residues at the EU border

What to look for on a label

Sulfoxaflor is a crop input, not a package ingredient:

Organic production does not use synthetic insecticides like sulfoxaflor
In the EU it is limited to permanent greenhouses, not open fields
Remember this is a restriction on where it can be used, not a full ban

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Frequently asked questions

Is sulfoxaflor banned in Europe?

Not fully. Since 2022 the EU has restricted it to permanent greenhouses, removing outdoor use over a risk to bees. It is a restriction, not a total ban.

Is sulfoxaflor a neonicotinoid?

It is not formally classed as one, but it acts on the same insect nervous-system target, which is why it drew similar pollinator concerns.

How is it used in the US?

The EPA registers it broadly for outdoor field use as Isoclast, in products like Transform and Closer, with pollinator-protection label conditions.

Related ingredients

Primary sources

Last reviewed August 25, 2026 · How we assign statuses