Overview

If you're planning to sell a cosmetic product in the European Union (EU) and/or Great Britain (GB), you'll need to notify it through the correct regulatory process before it goes to market.

Cosmetic products are regulated under:

• EU: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products ("EU Cosmetics Regulation")
• GB: The retained UK equivalent ("UK Cosmetics Regulation"), enforced by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS)

These are two separate legal regimes. Notifying a product in one market does not automatically register it in the other — if you're selling in both, you'll need to go through both processes.

The documentation requested from you isn't collected for its own sake — it exists to support two things every product needs before it can legally be sold:

1. A Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) — prepared by a qualified, accredited third-party safety assessor
2. A Product Information File (PIF) — compiled by Expandly and used for notification

You'll need a separate Responsible Person for the UK and for the EU

Appointing a Responsible Person (RP) in one market does not cover the other. If you're a US or other non-UK/EU brand entering both markets, plan for two separate RP appointments as standard practice — this isn't optional or a one-off setup step, it's an ongoing requirement in each market.

What documentation will I need to provide?

The list below is organised by who typically supplies each document. If you don't have direct access to some of these (for example, if a supplier holds the technical data), you may need to request them on our behalf.

These feed into Part A (safety information) of the CPSR.

These feed into CPSR Part A and the PIF.

Required tests and certifications

What happens once we have your documents?

Once we've collected the documentation above, the registration process moves through the following stages:

1. Safety assessment (CPSR) — A qualified safety assessor (holding a recognised qualification in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine, or a related discipline) reviews the documentation and prepares the Cosmetic Product Safety Report. This has two parts: Part A (safety information, drawn from your documents) and Part B (the assessor's conclusion).
2. Product Information File (PIF) — Once the CPSR and final artwork are ready, we compile the PIF. This must be retained for 10 years from when the last batch of the product is placed on the market, and be available to the relevant authority on request.
3. Notification — We submit your product for notification:
   • EU: via the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP)
   • GB: via the Submit Cosmetic Product Notifications (SCPN) service, operated by OPSS — a separate system from CPNP
4. Approved and ready to ship — Once assessment and notification are complete, your product can be sold in that market. Your PIF is retained as evidence of the completed assessment.

Typical timeline: this multi-stage process can take up to 6 months to complete, depending on how quickly documentation is received and finalised.

Glossary

Symbols & logos: what applies where

• Recycling: France, Italy, and Spain all have mandatory packaging recycling logo requirements.
• Cruelty-Free (e.g. Leaping Bunny): a voluntary scheme certification, distinct from the statutory non-animal testing declaration covered above.
• Organic/Natural (e.g. COSMOS): a voluntary scheme certification.
• FSC Certification: for packaging sourced from responsibly managed forests.
• CE marks: some cosmetic categories require additional conformity assessments — for example, aerosols.

Need more help?

If you have questions about any of the documents above, or aren't sure whether something applies to your product, contact us at onb@expandly.com and we'll be happy to help.