Updates to the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification service

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) have continued to work on improvements to the online platform used by companies to comply with the notification requirements under the UK Cosmetics Regulation.  The ‘Submit cosmetic product notifications’ (SCPN) service was introduced on the 1 January 2021, following the end of the transition period for the UK departure from the European Union. Since then, the team responsible for developing and improving the system have worked to ensure that the service allows companies to comply with the requirements to place products in the market in an easy, accessible, and relevant manner.

On 30 March 2022, OPSS announced further changes to the portal, including:

• breaking the cosmetic product notification process into smaller steps;
• changing the terminology from ‘incomplete’ to ‘draft’ notifications;
• introducing the ability to leave notifications in a draft stage for later completion;
• introducing the ability to go back and edit draft notification at each step;
• providing additional text help through the process to explain the requirements.

These changes are now expected to be introduced on 20 April 2022 following the announcement, and OPSS have confirmed that they will not affect the information currently held within incomplete notifications.

Notifying cosmetic products available to consumers in GB to the SCPN is one of the Responsible Person obligations under the UK Cosmetics Regulation.  Companies are reminded that not complying with this requirement could lead to penalties.