A CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report) is the safety report required before a cosmetic product is placed on the EU market. It forms part of the product dossier and must be prepared on the basis of the relevant safety information by a suitably qualified assessor, such as a professional with qualifications in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline.

Yes. When a cosmetic product is placed on the market, the responsible person must keep a Product Information File (PIF) for that product. The PIF must be kept for 10 years after the last batch has been placed on the market and must include, among other things, a product description, the CPSR, manufacturing method/GMP information, proof of claimed effects where justified, and animal-testing data where applicable.

Yes. Before a cosmetic product is placed on the EU market, the responsible person must submit the required product information electronically through the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP). The CPNP is the EU’s free online notification system, and once a product has been notified there, no additional national notification is required within the EU.

If a product is supplied on the EU market in the course of a commercial activity, it must comply with the cosmetics rules, whether it is sold or supplied free of charge. So if “handmade” products are being offered commercially under your name or brand, they still need the required compliance documentation and an EU responsible person. Purely private, non-commercial experimentation is a different situation, but once a product is placed or made available on the market, the regulation applies.

Typically, we will ask for your full formula with ingredient names and percentages, raw material documentation such as SDS/CoA/TDS, manufacturing information, packaging details, label draft, and any available stability, compatibility, microbiological or preservative/challenge-test data. This supports preparation of the safety assessment and the PIF, which under EU rules must contain the product description, CPSR, manufacturing method/GMP information, proof of claimed effects where justified, and any relevant animal-testing data.

Our standard preparation time is usually up to 10 working days, provided we have received all the necessary information and documents. If additional laboratory services are needed, such as microbiological or other specialist testing, the timeline may be longer.

Not always in the same way. Official SCCS guidance says microbiological quality must be addressed for finished cosmetic products, but in justified cases end-product testing may not be necessary, for example for products with alcohol content above 20%. The same guidance also states that challenge testing is important for products that may deteriorate or pose an infection risk under normal conditions of storage and use.

Yes. We can review your label and marketing claims for compliance with the EU cosmetics rules, including Article 20 and the common criteria for cosmetic claims. These criteria include legal compliance, truthfulness, evidential support, honesty, fairness and informed decision-making, so the goal is not only to make the label compliant, but also clear and defensible.