The Cosmetic Safety Regulations
The main EU directive affecting the manufacture, labelling and supply of cosmetics and personal care products is 76/768EEC(4). It applies to all the countries of the EU as well as Switzerland and Norway. These regulations apply even to single-person companies making just one product, all the way up to large multinationals. In the UK the directive is enacted as the Cosmetic Product (safety) Regulations 2008, and is enforced by Trading Standards. Having an EU directive means that the rules on formulating and labelling are more or less the same across all EEA countries, reducing the barriers to trade. It also means that a cosmetic health assessment produced in one EU country is valid for sale in another, as long as local language requirements are adhered to.
This link gives a useful summary of the cosmetic safety regulations, from Cheshire East Trading Standards.
Definition of "Responsible Person"
The regulations define a so-called "responsible person", who must have an address in the EU and is responsible for holding all the documentation on the product, including the safety assessment - the "Product Information File". They are the company that manufactures the cosmetic, or has it manufactured, or they are the local office or agent for a manufacturer based outside the EU. If there is no local agent for a non-EU manufacturer, then the first company importing the product into the EU is the "responsible person".
Please call us on 01244-351644 (UK) or email edmund@efchemicalconsulting.co.uk to find out more about cosmetic safety assessments or to discuss pricing.