CPNP notification
Every cosmetic product sold in the European Union must be notified on the CPNP before it reaches the market. CPNP notification is free and done once for all Member States, but it follows precise rules. This guide explains who submits it, when, with which data, the most common mistakes, and how the separate UK notification works.
CPNP stands for Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, the EU portal for notifying cosmetic products. It is run by the European Commission and required by Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, the law that governs cosmetics across the Union.
The information you enter is used by two groups:
One notification covers the whole EU market: you do not repeat it country by country, and there is no registration fee. The United Kingdom has had its own, separate notification system since Brexit (see the UK section below).
This is the most common misunderstanding. With a CPNP notification you are not asking for permission, and nobody “approves” your product before it goes on sale. You declare that the product exists, who is responsible for it and what it contains. The safety of the product remains the responsibility of whoever places it on the market, and it is demonstrated by the Product Information File (PIF), which authorities can ask to see at any time.
Notification is the job of the Responsible Person, the role defined in Article 4 of the Regulation: the natural or legal person, established in the EU, who ensures the product complies with the law. Their name and address appear on the label.
In private label, the Responsible Person is usually the brand owner or the manufacturer, as agreed between the parties. For brands based outside the EU, an EU Responsible Person is required: we can provide one through our partners. Access to the portal uses personal credentials, and the Responsible Person can delegate data entry to someone else, such as the manufacturer or a consultant.
Before the product is placed on the market, that is, before it is made available for sale for the first time in the EU. Notifying “around” the launch is not enough: without a notification the product cannot be sold.
Products containing nanomaterials have an extra step. If the nanomaterial is not already regulated in the Annexes of the Regulation (as some colourants, preservatives and UV filters are), Article 16 requires a specific notification six months before the product is placed on the market.
Article 13 lists the information to submit:
When the product is placed on the market, the original label and, where reasonably legible, a photograph of the packaging are added.
A frame formulation is a standard template, defined by the Commission for each product type, showing ingredient categories and their maximum ranges. If the product fits a template you can use it; otherwise, or by choice, you enter the exact composition or concentration ranges. A frame formulation protects confidentiality better; the exact formula gives poison centres more precise information.
These are special cases. CMR substances are in principle banned in cosmetics, except for derogations set out in the Regulation, and must be declared. Nanomaterials, besides the notification, must be followed by the word “nano” in brackets after the ingredient name on the label.
The notification and the PIF are two different documents that refer to each other:
| Document | What it is for |
|---|---|
| CPNP notification | Tells authorities and poison centres that the product exists and what it contains |
| PIF | Proves the product is safe and compliant; kept by the Responsible Person |
| Label | Informs the consumer; also uploaded to the notification |
The Responsible Person’s address in the notification and on the label is where authorities can consult the PIF. If one changes, the others must change too. Everything about the label is in our guide to EU cosmetic labelling.
Since Brexit, Great Britain has its own rules: the UK Cosmetics Regulation, the British version of Regulation 1223/2009. The logic is the same as in the EU, but the system is separate, so a CPNP notification does not cover the UK.
We do not submit UK notifications ourselves: SCPN notification and the UK Responsible Person are available through our partners, coordinated by the same project manager who follows your EU documents. Official guidance is published on gov.uk.
When you manufacture with us, we do the CPNP notification. EU documentation is prepared with our in-house expertise and external regulatory experts, in parallel with the PIF and the label. It is one of the six phases of our method, regulatory approval, described in how we work. Details of the service are on our EU and UK compliance page.
To sell outside the EU, we work with specialist partners: SCPN and UK Responsible Person for the United Kingdom, and support for Canada, the USA, Mexico and Australia.
Using the CPNP portal is free. Any costs relate to the work of preparing the data and the linked documents, such as the PIF and the label.
The Responsible Person, the party established in the EU who answers for the product’s compliance. They can delegate data entry in the portal, for example to the manufacturer.
No. One notification covers all Member States. The United Kingdom has a separate system, SCPN, with its own UK Responsible Person.
No. The notification passes product data to the authorities, but it is not an authorisation. Safety is demonstrated by the PIF and the safety assessment.
A change to the formula must be reported by updating the information in the portal. If the change effectively creates a different product, a new notification may be needed: this is assessed case by case.
Entering the data is quick once everything is ready. The real work is preparing the formula, label and documents, so we build it into the project schedule.
Formula, label, PIF and notification: we take care of them, with one project manager following you from the first call to delivery. Tell us about your project: we reply within one hour.
Free checklist
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