Market Access · Cosmetics → EU

Selling cosmetics in the EU?
One gate decides everything.

No EU-established Responsible Person, no legal route onto the EU market — for any cosmetic product, regardless of where it's made or how good it is. The good news: it's one of the cleanest gates in regulated trade to check and close.

Map your gate → Check your own first ↓
What's requiredResponsible Person · PIF · CPNP · label
No exceptions forSize, revenue, or country of manufacture
What we promiseThe clearest map of your actual gap
The gate, checked

Four things have to exist before you launch.

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 doesn't care how good the formula is. Click each gate to see what it actually requires.

The manufacturer, an EU-established importer, or a designated agent who accepts the role in writing. Without this, the product cannot legally be sold — there is no workaround, no grace period, no size exemption.
Signed by a qualified assessor, kept for 10 years after the last batch is placed on the market, and produced to authorities on request — in a language they can read.
Submitted by the Responsible Person via the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, covering category, ingredients, and the RP's contact details — before the product reaches the market, not after.
RP name and address, full ingredient list (INCI), nominal content, durability, and any required warnings — in a language consumers in that specific market can read.
What it costs to get wrong

Enforcement runs through withdrawal, not a fine ceiling.

The faster, more common consequence isn't a fine — it's the product simply coming off the shelf.

No Responsible Person on file
The product is non-compliant from day one. Authorities and marketplaces can both act independently — and a marketplace usually moves faster than any regulator.
PIF not available on request
Triggers the same corrective powers as an actual safety failure — the authority can't verify what it can't see, regardless of whether the product is genuinely fine.
Mislabelled or untranslated label
EU labelling fines have run from the low thousands to into the millions of euros depending on severity; in the UK the typical range cited is materially lower.
How Ayin helps

Map the gap. Close it once.

01 Map

We tell you within a short conversation whether you already have standing, what's missing, and what closing the gap costs — free, no charge.

02 Clear

Appointing the Responsible Person, assembling the PIF, and filing CPNP. Once it's built, it's yours, entirely.

→ Read the full Codex entry on EU Cosmetics Reg. 1223/2009 → Selling cosmetics in the US instead? FDA MoCRA → See what's changing in cosmetics regulation
Before you ask

The questions everyone asks first.

Do I need a Responsible Person to sell cosmetics in the EU?
Yes, without exception. Every cosmetic product placed on the EU market needs a Responsible Person established in the EU. There's no size, revenue, or volume threshold that exempts a brand from this.
Can I use the same Responsible Person for the EU and the UK?
No. Post-Brexit, the UK GB market requires its own UK-established Responsible Person and a separate SCPN notification. An EU filing does not carry over.
What happens if a regulator finds my product without a Responsible Person?
Authorities can order the product withdrawn, recalled, or banned from sale within a deadline. In practice, a marketplace will often suspend the listing faster than any regulator can act.
How long does it take to get this in order?
This is one of the faster gates to clear once the documentation exists. We can usually tell you within a short conversation what's missing and what closing the gap takes.
Is Ayin a law firm?
No. Ayin is an advisory and compliance practice. We build the standing — not legal advice or representation.

A market doesn't refuse you. Its paperwork does.

Map your gate →