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Selling cosmetics and beauty products in the UK

In Great Britain, a cosmetic product needs a Responsible Person with a UK address, who keeps a Product Information File with a safety report, notifies the Office for Product Safety and Standards before the product is sold, and reports serious harmful effects. Northern Ireland follows EU rules, with a Responsible Person in NI or the EU.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main text
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as it applies in GB
Who answers for the product
A Responsible Person with a UK address
Before sale
Notification to OPSS
The file
A Product Information File, in English, kept 10 years
Northern Ireland
A Responsible Person in NI or the EU

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Who is the Responsible Person, and do they have a UK address? Read more
  2. 2Is there a Product Information File with a safety report? Read more
  3. 3Does a new colourant, preservative, UV filter or nanomaterial need a safety dossier? Read more
  4. 4Is the product notified to OPSS? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

The Responsible Person

The business or individual who answers for a cosmetic product in GB.

  • Every cosmetic product available to consumers has a Responsible Person who makes sure safety measures are followed and legal obligations are met.
  • A Responsible Person can be a business or an individual, and has a UK established address, not a mail forwarding or PO box address.
  • A distributor that labels a product as its own becomes the Responsible Person.
  • The Responsible Person tells OPSS about serious harmful effects reported for the product.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the Responsible Person's details and what they hold for each product in one place. Ask about this

The Product Information File and safety report

The evidence that a product is safe for human health.

  • The Responsible Person keeps an up to date Product Information File (PIF) in English for each product, including the product safety report.
  • The PIF covers the ingredients and their concentrations, toxicological properties, microbial contaminants and the quantities a user could be exposed to.
  • The PIF is kept for 10 years after the last batch was made available.
  • Products carry a batch number, and complaints are investigated.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the PIF documents and the safety report with each product, dated, so the file is ready when an officer or a retailer asks. Ask about this

New ingredients

What happens when an ingredient is not yet on the lists.

  • A new colourant, UV filter or preservative not listed in Annex 4, 5 or 6 needs a safety dossier submitted to OPSS for safety assessment.
  • The same applies to nanomaterials.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your formula against the Annexes and flags the ingredients that need a dossier. Ask about this

Notification to OPSS

The notification a product needs before it is sold in GB.

  • Before a product is made available to consumers in GB, the Responsible Person notifies it to OPSS, using the Submit cosmetic product notifications service.

How we help: Compliant Always records each product's OPSS notification and keeps it with the product's file. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
Responsible PersonSafety, the PIF, notification and reports of serious harmful effects.The PIF, the safety report and the notification kept together and dated.
BrandThe formula and the label, and the Responsible Person where it is one.Formula and label checked against the Annexes, with the paperwork behind them.
DistributorBecoming the Responsible Person if it labels a product as its own.The documents each product needs, shown when a retailer asks.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The GB guidance does not cover Northern Ireland, where the Responsible Person must be established in NI or the EU. Separate technical guidance exists for each.

Questions businesses ask

Who is the Responsible Person for a cosmetic product in Great Britain?
A business or individual with a UK established address, not a PO box or mail forwarding address, who makes sure the product is safe and its legal obligations are met.
Does a distributor ever become the Responsible Person?
Yes. A distributor that labels a product as its own, for example under its brand name, can be the Responsible Person.
What is a Product Information File?
An up to date file, in English, with information on how safe the product is for human health, including the product safety report. It is kept for 10 years after the last batch was made available.
Does a cosmetic product need to be notified in Great Britain?
Yes. The Responsible Person notifies OPSS before the product is made available to consumers in GB, using the Submit cosmetic product notifications service.
Is an EU notification enough for Great Britain?
No. Products made available to consumers in GB are notified through the GB service to OPSS.
What if a formula uses a new colourant, preservative or UV filter?
If it is not listed in Annex 4, 5 or 6, a safety dossier is submitted to OPSS for safety assessment. The same applies to nanomaterials.
What must be reported after a product is on sale?
Serious harmful effects reported about the product, which the Responsible Person tells OPSS about.
What applies in Northern Ireland?
EU rules: the Responsible Person must be established in NI or the EU, and separate technical guidance applies.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UK?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product and keeps the documents behind each one ready. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

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.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in the UK and what your paperwork needs to show.

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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.

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