Help Tool

Article 20 of both the UK and EU Cosmetics Regulations gives the provisions for cosmetic claims and covers text, names, trademarks, pictures and figurative or other signs. Furthermore, cosmetic claims have to comply with EU Regulation 655/2013 providing the Common Criteria for Cosmetic Claims, which is also referred to in Article 20 of the UK Cosmetics Regulation and therefore continues to apply in GB. There are six Common Criteria for Cosmetic Claims and all of these must be taken into consideration; if a claim is in breach of one of these criteria, then the claim shall not be made. Additionally, when assessing a claim, the understanding of the averagely well-informed consumer has to be considered against the message that is intended to be delivered. The Responsible Person placing the products on the market is responsible for the claims made, including their wording and their claim substantiation. Additional rules for claims are provided under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the advertising rules. The UK regulator for advertising is the Advertising Standards Authority. More information can be found on the Cosmetic Product Claims page.

A cosmetic product is legally defined by Article 2 of the EU and UK Cosmetics Regulations. The definition can be broken down into three parts: 1. A cosmetic must be a substance or mixture; 2. A cosmetic shall be applied to specific areas of the human body; 3. A cosmetic must have specific cosmetic functions. A product must meet all three elements of this definition to be a cosmetic product. Use this tool to find out if your product is a cosmetic.

Which rules do I need to follow?

Which rules do I need to follow?

The EU Cosmetics Regulation and UK Cosmetics Regulation controls what may or may not be put in a cosmetic product and in many cases specifies how certain cosmetic ingredients must be used. This decision tree is intended to take you through the steps of checking whether a substance is prohibited, restricted or otherwise permitted for use. At each stage you will need to check whether your ingredient is listed in a particular Annex to the Regulation. Substances are identified in the Annexes using information such as chemical name or INN (Non-proprietary Names), CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) number, EC (European Community) number, common ingredient names found in Commission Decision (EU) 2019/701 (Glossary), or in the case of colorants, by their Colour Index (CI) number. Please note that this decision tree is a helpful tool to introduce you to the Annexes. If in any doubt about a particular substance it is recommended that you check with your raw material supplier or a consultant specialising in the cosmetics legislation. Whilst CTPA cannot recommend individual companies, our website has an interactive list of members allowing you to search for specific services.