In the EU, cosmetics are governed by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. A product needs a responsible person in the EU, an expert safety assessment and safety report before it is sold, and a notification in the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal. Colourants, preservatives and UV filters must be authorised, and animal testing for cosmetic purposes is banned.
Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from
The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.
What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.
The legal or natural person in the EU who answers for a cosmetic product.
How we help: Compliant Always keeps the responsible person's details and the documents they hold for each product in one place. Ask about this
The evidence that a product is safe, prepared before it is sold.
How we help: Compliant Always keeps the safety report and the test evidence behind it with each product, dated, so the file is ready when an authority or a retailer asks. Ask about this
What may go into a cosmetic product, and in what form.
How we help: Compliant Always reads your formula against the Annexes and watches the amendments, so a newly restricted ingredient shows up against the products that use it. Ask about this
The one notification a product needs before it is sold in the EU.
How we help: Compliant Always records each product's CPNP notification and keeps it with the product's file. Ask about this
What the label shows, and what may be claimed.
How we help: Compliant Always sets your label and claims beside the rules and guidance that apply, with the source for each. Ask about this
| Who | What they answer for | How we help |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible person | The product's safety, its file, its notification and reports of serious undesirable effects. | The product file, the safety report and the notification kept together and dated. |
| Brand | The formula, the label and the claims, and designating the responsible person. | Formula and label checked against the Annexes, with the paperwork behind them. |
| Manufacturer | Making the product safely, and the evidence for its safety assessment. | Specifications and test reports kept by product, ready for the responsible person. |
| Distributor | Notification in some circumstances, and selling only products that meet the rules. | The documents each product needs, shown when a retailer asks. |
The Regulation applies directly in each member state. One CPNP notification covers the EU, and national authorities enforce and receive reports of serious undesirable effects, sharing them with other member states.
Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.
Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in the EU and what your paperwork needs to show.
No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.
