The Cosmetics Products Regulation (CPR) is a key piece of legislation that underpins the production and distribution of cosmetics across Europe. It entered into force in July 2013 as a regulatory evolution of the European Cosmetics Directive, which has existed since July 1976 under Directive 76/768/EEC.
Products that meet the requirements of the CPR have equal and immediate access to the market and can circulate freely throughout the European Union. Due to the high consumption and circulation of these products, the regulation is supported by a system of market surveillance. In this system, the person or company that places a cosmetic product on the market (manufacturer or importer) is also responsible for its safety and legal compliance and is known as the “responsible person”.
Every stage of the development of cosmetics is regulated by the CPR, from the selection of ingredients to the placing on the market.
The regulation defines the technical documentation and safety assessment that must be completed before a product can be marketed. The CPR also ensures that relevant authorities have access to product information at all times (Articles 10 and 11). To ensure the safety of formulations, the use of certain substances in cosmetic products is prohibited or restricted (Annexes II to VII).
Testing products or their ingredients on animals to demonstrate safety is strictly prohibited. Companies must use non-animal safety approaches for this purpose (Article 18).
After a product is placed on the market, companies must collect and evaluate consumer reports of adverse effects and, where necessary, modify the products (Article 23).
Product quality is ensured by the mandatory requirement to follow recognized Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards during production (Article 8).
Strict and regulated labelling rules provide consumers with transparency about the ingredients used in products and are covered by Article 19. Any claims made about the benefits and effectiveness of a product must also be accurate and based on data (Article 20).
