diff --git a/packages/react/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap b/packages/react/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
index 4d384ca84c66..5e2489353d16 100644
--- a/packages/react/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/react/__tests__/__snapshots__/PublicAPI-test.js.snap
@@ -7837,7 +7837,6 @@ Map {
         "type": "oneOf",
       },
       "aria-label": Object {
-        "isRequired": true,
         "type": "string",
       },
       "children": Object {
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.js b/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.js
index f296b10449cf..6a78a4f60547 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.js
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.js
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export default {
 
 export const Default = ({ dismissable, ...args }) => (
   <Tabs dismissable={dismissable} onTabCloseRequest={() => {}}>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" {...args}>
+    <TabList {...args}>
       <Tab>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab>Monitoring</Tab>
       <Tab>Activity</Tab>
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ export const Dismissable = () => {
         onChange={handleTabChange}
         dismissable
         onTabCloseRequest={handleCloseTabRequest}>
-        <TabList aria-label="List of tabs">
+        <TabList>
           {renderedTabs.map((tab, index) => (
             <Tab key={index} disabled={tab.disabled}>
               {tab.label}
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ export const DismissableWithIcons = ({ contained }) => {
         onChange={handleTabChange}
         dismissable
         onTabCloseRequest={handleCloseTabRequest}>
-        <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained={contained}>
+        <TabList contained={contained}>
           {renderedTabs.map((tab, index) => (
             <Tab key={index} disabled={tab.disabled} renderIcon={icons[index]}>
               {tab.label}
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ export const DismissableWithIcons = ({ contained }) => {
 
 export const WithIcons = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList activation="manual" aria-label="List of tabs">
+    <TabList activation="manual">
       <Tab renderIcon={Dashboard}>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab renderIcon={CloudMonitoring}>Monitoring</Tab>
       <Tab renderIcon={Activity}>Activity</Tab>
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ export const WithIcons = () => (
 
 export const Manual = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList activation="manual" aria-label="List of tabs">
+    <TabList activation="manual">
       <Tab>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab>Monitoring</Tab>
       <Tab title="Tab label 4">Activity</Tab>
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ export const Manual = () => (
 
 export const Icon20Only = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList iconSize="lg" aria-label="List of tabs">
+    <TabList iconSize="lg">
       <IconTab label="Analyze" disabled>
         <Search size={20} aria-label="Analyze" />
       </IconTab>
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ export const Icon20Only = () => (
 
 export const IconOnly = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs">
+    <TabList>
       <IconTab label="Analyze" disabled>
         <Search aria-label="Analyze" />
       </IconTab>
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ export const IconOnly = () => (
 
 export const Contained = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained>
+    <TabList contained>
       <Tab>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab>Monitoring</Tab>
       <Tab>Activity</Tab>
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ export const Contained = () => (
 
 export const ContainedWithIcons = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained>
+    <TabList contained>
       <Tab renderIcon={Dashboard}>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab renderIcon={CloudMonitoring}>Monitoring</Tab>
       <Tab renderIcon={Activity}>Activity</Tab>
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ export const ContainedWithIcons = () => (
 
 export const ContainedWithSecondaryLabels = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained>
+    <TabList contained>
       <Tab secondaryLabel="(21/25)">Engage</Tab>
       <Tab secondaryLabel="(12/16)">Analyze</Tab>
       <Tab secondaryLabel="(0/7)">Remediate</Tab>
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ export const ContainedWithSecondaryLabels = () => (
 
 export const ContainedWithSecondaryLabelsAndIcons = () => (
   <Tabs>
-    <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained>
+    <TabList contained>
       <Tab renderIcon={Task} secondaryLabel="(21/25">
         Engage
       </Tab>
@@ -556,7 +556,7 @@ export const ContainedFullWidth = () => (
   <Grid condensed>
     <Column lg={16} md={8} sm={4}>
       <Tabs>
-        <TabList aria-label="List of tabs" contained fullWidth>
+        <TabList contained fullWidth>
           <Tab>TLS</Tab>
           <Tab>Origin</Tab>
           <Tab disabled>Rate limiting</Tab>
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ export const ContainedFullWidth = () => (
 
 export const Vertical = ({ ...args }) => (
   <TabsVertical {...args}>
-    <TabListVertical aria-label="List of tabs">
+    <TabListVertical>
       <Tab>Dashboard</Tab>
       <Tab>
         Extra long label that will go two lines then truncate when it goes
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
index 1f7c217960bb..c92e96ab0d28 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ export interface TabListProps extends DivAttributes {
    * Provide an accessible label to be read when a user interacts with this
    * component
    */
-  'aria-label': string;
+  'aria-label'?: string;
 
   /**
    * Provide child elements to be rendered inside `ContentTabs`.
@@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ TabList.propTypes = {
    * Provide an accessible label to be read when a user interacts with this
    * component
    */
-  'aria-label': PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+  'aria-label': PropTypes.string,
 
   /**
    * Provide child elements to be rendered inside `ContentTabs`.