UK cosmetics regulation: GB/NI regimes, product definition and borderlines, responsible person, safety assessment, notification, ingredient controls (incl nanomaterials), animal testing, labelling and claims, market surveillance, enforcement, and recent reforms

Published by a LexisNexis Life Sciences expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note outlines the UK regime governing cosmetics. It defines what counts as a cosmetic product and details the conditions for placing such products on the market in Great Britain (GB) while safeguarding their safety. It also covers limits on particular ingredients, the prohibition on animal testing, the criteria for making cosmetic product claims, which bodies enforce the rules in the UK, and the applicable oversight mechanisms. The Practice Note further addresses the situation in Northern Ireland (NI), which follows EU cosmetics requirements, insofar as that position diverges from the approach in the EU, where relevant.

UK regulatory framework for cosmetics

The UK framework largely stems from Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, commonly referred to as the EU Cosmetic Products Regulation (EU CPR). For material on the EU cosmetics regime, see Practice Note: Regulation of cosmetic products in the EU. The EU CPR applied directly across all EU Member States (which then included the UK), so no domestic legislation was needed for those duties to take effect. Nonetheless, the UK made the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, SI 2013/1478 to give effect to, and police, the EU CPR and to provide...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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