What Is a CPSR? The Complete UK & EU Cosmetic Product Safety Report Guide (2026)

If you want to sell a cosmetic product in the United Kingdom or the European Union, there is one document you cannot launch without: a Cosmetic Product Safety Report, almost always shortened to CPSR. It does not matter whether you are a kitchen-table soap maker selling on Etsy, an indie skincare founder scaling on Shopify, or an established brand entering a new market. The legal requirement is the same, and so are the consequences of getting it wrong.

This guide explains exactly what a CPSR is, why it is legally required, what goes inside it, who is allowed to write one, what it costs, how long it takes, and what happens if you skip it. It is written for real founders and makers rather than regulatory lawyers, so wherever a piece of jargon is unavoidable we explain it in plain English. By the end you will know precisely where the CPSR fits into your launch and what you need to prepare before you commission one.

What is a CPSR?

A CPSR, or Cosmetic Product Safety Report, is a written scientific assessment that confirms a finished cosmetic product is safe for people to use. It is prepared by a qualified safety assessor who examines your full formulation, the way the product will be used, the exposure a typical person will experience, and the toxicological profile of every ingredient. The assessor then formally concludes whether the product is safe to be placed on the market and, if so, under what conditions.

In the European Union, the CPSR is mandated by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, the cornerstone law governing cosmetics across all member states. Article 10 of that regulation requires a safety assessment for every product, and the structure and content of the report are set out in Annex I. After Brexit, Great Britain retained this same framework in domestic law, enforced through the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013. The practical result is that the science behind a UK CPSR and an EU CPSR is essentially identical, even though the legal wrappers and the responsible authorities differ. We compare the two in detail further down.

It is helpful to think of the CPSR as the official safety verdict on your product. Your formulation is the evidence, the lab results are the supporting data, and the CPSR is the qualified expert's signed conclusion that ties it all together. Without that signed conclusion, your product is not legally allowed on the shelf, the listing or the market stall. It is, quite literally, the document that turns a finished recipe into a product you are allowed to sell.

In one sentence: A CPSR is the legally required, expert-signed document that proves your cosmetic product is safe to sell in the UK and EU — and you cannot lawfully place a product on the market without one.

Is a CPSR a legal requirement?

Yes, and this is the part that catches new brands by surprise. A valid CPSR is a hard legal requirement for *every* cosmetic product placed on the UK or EU market. There is no small-business exemption, no handmade exemption, and no “I only sell a few jars at craft fairs” exemption. The regulation does not care about your turnover or your batch size. If the product meets the legal definition of a cosmetic, it needs a CPSR before the first unit is sold or even given away as a marketing sample.

The legal definition of a cosmetic is broad. It covers any substance or mixture intended to be placed in contact with the external parts of the body — skin, hair, nails, lips, teeth or the mucous membranes of the mouth — mainly to clean, perfume, protect, change the appearance of, or keep those parts in good condition or correct body odours. That sweeps in soaps, shampoos, lip balms, bath bombs, body butters, serums, deodorants, perfumes, makeup and far more. If you are unsure whether your specific product counts as a cosmetic, a medicine or a general product, that borderline question deserves its own answer before you go any further, because the wrong classification changes everything that follows.

One CPSR covers one product. A “lavender soap” and a “rose soap” built on the same base may sometimes share a single assessment, but a genuinely different formulation needs its own report. We cover exactly when one CPSR can stretch across variants — and when it cannot — in our dedicated guide to CPSR rules for scents, shades and sizes.

How the CPSR fits with the PIF and your product notification

The CPSR rarely travels alone. It is one piece — admittedly the most important piece — of a slightly larger compliance picture. Three things commonly get confused, so let us separate them clearly.

• The CPSR is the safety assessment itself: the expert's signed conclusion that your product is safe.

• The Product Information File (PIF) is the master dossier that contains the CPSR alongside your formulation, labelling, manufacturing details and supporting test reports. It must be kept available to the authorities for ten years after the last batch is placed on the market. You cannot have a compliant PIF without a valid CPSR inside it. Our guide to preparing a PIF walks through the full contents.

• The product notification is the step where you register the product with the authorities before sale — through the SCPN portal in the UK and the CPNP portal in the EU. Crucially, you cannot complete either notification without a finished CPSR.

So the order of operations is almost always: finalise your formula, gather your supporting data, obtain your CPSR, build your PIF around it, then notify the product. Skipping ahead — for example, trying to notify before the CPSR exists — simply does not work, because the system is built around the safety report sitting at the centre. For a deeper look at how the safety report and the dossier interlock, see our breakdown of CPSR and PIF documentation for EU compliance.

What's inside a CPSR? The two parts explained

Every CPSR is divided into two parts, defined by Annex I of the regulation. Part A gathers all the safety *information* about the product. Part B is the safety assessor's professional *judgement* based on that information. Think of Part A as the case file and Part B as the verdict. Both are required; a report with a strong Part A but no signed Part B is not a valid CPSR, and a Part B with a thin Part A behind it will not stand up to scrutiny.

Part A — Cosmetic Product Safety Information

Part A is a structured collection of data that the assessor needs in order to reach a conclusion. It is not optional background reading; each element is a required input. In practice Part A covers the following:

• Qualitative and quantitative composition — every ingredient, identified by its correct INCI name, with the exact percentage used.

• Physical and chemical characteristics and stability — what the product is physically, and evidence that it stays safe and stable over its intended shelf life.

• Microbiological quality — confirmation that the product resists microbial contamination, which is where preservative efficacy and challenge testing come in for water-containing products.

• Impurities, traces and packaging information — any unintended substances, plus details of the container and how the two interact.

• Normal and reasonably foreseeable use — how the product is meant to be used, and how it might predictably be misused.

• Exposure to the cosmetic product — how much, how often, where on the body, and for how long the product contacts the skin.

• Exposure to the substances — the resulting exposure to each individual ingredient, which feeds the safety calculations.

• Toxicological profile of the substances — the known hazard data for each ingredient, drawn from scientific sources.

• Undesirable effects and serious undesirable effects — any record of adverse reactions associated with the product or its ingredients.

• Information on the cosmetic product — any other relevant supporting data, such as existing studies.

Part B — Cosmetic Product Safety Assessment

Part B is where the qualified safety assessor applies their expertise to everything in Part A and reaches a documented conclusion. It must contain:

• The assessment conclusion — a clear statement on the safety of the product.

• Labelled warnings and instructions for use — any precautions that must appear on the packaging, such as “avoid contact with eyes” or a specific usage limit.

• The reasoning — the scientific justification that led to the conclusion, including the margin-of-safety calculations where relevant.

• The assessor's credentials and signed approval — proof that the person signing is appropriately qualified, plus their formal sign-off.

Worth remembering: Part B is the legally meaningful sign-off, but it is only as strong as the data in Part A. A vague or incomplete Part A almost always produces delays, queries from the assessor, or a product that cannot be passed as it stands.

Who can write and sign a CPSR?

This is not a document you can put together yourself from an online template, unless you happen to hold the right qualifications. The regulation requires that the safety assessment is carried out by a person with a recognised qualification — typically a university degree in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine, chemistry, biology or a closely related scientific discipline — combined with demonstrable knowledge of cosmetic safety assessment and exposure calculation. Many qualified assessors are chartered chemists, chartered biologists or registered toxicologists.

For the overwhelming majority of brands and makers, the practical answer is that you commission the CPSR from an external qualified safety assessor. They take your formulation and supporting documents, perform the assessment, and sign Part B. This is not a reflection on your ability as a formulator — it is simply how the law allocates legal responsibility for safety. You can read more about the credentials involved in our guide to how a qualified safety assessor prepares your CPSR.

What you need to provide before a CPSR can be done

The single biggest cause of delay is not the assessment itself — it is incomplete paperwork. A safety assessor cannot start until they have a clear, finalised picture of your product. Before you commission a CPSR, get the following ready:

• Your complete formulation with exact percentages, adding up to 100%, and correct INCI names for every ingredient.

• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each raw material.

• Certificates of Analysis (CoA) or specification sheets for key ingredients.

• Allergen declarations for any fragrance or essential oils used.

• IFRA certificates for fragrance and essential or flavour oils, confirming safe usage levels.

• Colour Index (CI) numbers for any colourants, micas or glitters.

• Packaging details — the container and closure materials your product will sit in.

• Manufacturing information and, where relevant, your Good Manufacturing Practice approach.

• Any stability and microbiological test results you already hold.

Having all of this ready in advance is the difference between a smooth two-to-four-week turnaround and a frustrating back-and-forth. If you are not sure what applies to your specific product, our team can send you a readiness checklist tailored to your formulation, and our allergen compliance check closes one of the most common gaps before assessment even begins.

Anhydrous vs water-containing products: why it changes your CPSR

Not all products are equally complex to assess, and the dividing line that matters most is water. This single factor often determines how much testing you need and, by extension, how much your CPSR costs.

Anhydrous products contain no water — think body oils, balms, butters, anhydrous scrubs and solid balms. Because microbes need water to grow, these products are generally lower risk and usually require fewer tests. A well-formulated anhydrous product can often be assessed without challenge testing. Water-containing (aqueous) products — lotions, creams, shampoos, toners, most emulsions — can support microbial growth, so they typically require challenge testing (a preservative efficacy test, often to ISO 11930) and microbiological assessment to confirm the preservative system actually works. That extra testing adds both time and cost.

A quick worked example. Imagine two products from the same small brand. A lavender body oil (anhydrous) of sweet almond oil, jojoba, vitamin E and a small percentage of lavender essential oil contains no water, so no challenge test is needed; the assessor checks the essential oil is within IFRA limits, confirms allergen declarations, and the CPSR is relatively straightforward. A hydrating face cream (emulsion) of water, oils, an emulsifier, humectants, actives and a preservative system needs challenge testing to prove the preservative holds up, plus stability data; the assessment is more involved, takes longer, and costs more. Understanding which category your product falls into helps you budget realistically. We go deeper in our guide to assessing anhydrous versus water-containing formulations.

UK CPSR vs EU CPSR: same science, different frameworks

If you plan to sell in both the United Kingdom and the European Union, you need to understand that these are now two separate legal markets with two separate requirements — even though the underlying safety science is the same. Since Brexit, Great Britain operates its own cosmetics regime, while Northern Ireland continues to align with EU rules under the Windsor Framework.

The headline takeaway: a single CPSR can often be written to satisfy both markets, but you will still need a UK Responsible Person and a UK notification for Great Britain, and an EU Responsible Person and CPNP notification for the EU. As ingredient rules between the two regimes slowly diverge, a product that is compliant in one market is not automatically compliant in the other. Keeping track of that divergence is part of staying on the market, not just getting onto it.

How much does a CPSR cost and how long does it take?

Cost is the question every founder asks first, and the honest answer is that it depends mostly on your formulation. As a realistic guide, UK and EU CPSRs tend to start from around £55 for a simple anhydrous product and rise into the several hundred pounds range for complex emulsions that need additional testing. Variants of the same base formula are usually offered at a reduced rate, which is how brands with a range keep costs down.

Be cautious of headline prices that look too good to be true. A “£10 CPSR” almost never accounts for the genuine complexity of a real product, and a weak assessment can leave you exposed if an authority or marketplace ever asks to see it. The value is in a defensible, audit-ready report — not just a PDF. We break the numbers down honestly in our full guide to what a CPSR actually costs and what should be included. On timing, a typical CPSR takes two to four weeks from the point all your documentation is complete and correct. If laboratory testing such as a challenge test is required, add several more weeks for the lab work, since that runs on its own timeline. The lesson is simple: the sooner your paperwork is complete, the sooner your product can launch.

What happens if you sell without a CPSR?

Selling a cosmetic without a valid CPSR is not a grey area — it is illegal in both the UK and the EU, and the risks are real and varied:

• Enforcement action. In the UK, the OPSS and local Trading Standards can investigate, demand your documentation, and order products withdrawn from the market. Non-compliance can lead to fines and, in serious cases, prosecution.

• Marketplace removal. Amazon, Etsy, Shopify and other platforms increasingly request safety documentation. Without a CPSR your listings can be flagged, suspended or removed, often without warning.

• Invalid insurance. Product liability insurers typically ask for evidence of a CPSR before they will pay out. If something goes wrong and you cannot show your product was safety-assessed, your cover may be worthless.

• Reputational damage. A forced recall or a public safety complaint can do more lasting harm to a young brand than the cost of compliance ever would.

Put simply, the CPSR is not a bureaucratic hurdle to resent — it is the document that protects your customers, your business and your right to keep trading.

Common myths about CPSRs

• “My products are natural, so they don't need a CPSR.” Natural and organic products are cosmetics like any other. In fact, natural formulations often carry *more* allergen and stability considerations, not fewer, because essential oils and botanical extracts are chemically complex. They absolutely need a CPSR.

• “A CPSR is just a lab test I can order online.” The CPSR is not a test — it is an expert assessment that may *draw on* lab tests. The science and the qualified sign-off are what give it legal weight.

• “I only sell to friends and at local markets, so the rules don't apply.” The moment money changes hands, or even when products are given away to promote a brand, they are being placed on the market. The requirement applies regardless of scale.

• “One CPSR covers my whole range forever.” A CPSR covers a specific formulation. Change the formula, the preservative, a key active or the intended use, and you may need a new or updated assessment.

• “Once I have my CPSR, I'm done.” Compliance is ongoing. You must keep your PIF current, monitor regulatory changes, and update your documentation when the rules or your formula shift.

How to get your CPSR

Getting your CPSR is more straightforward than it sounds once your formula is finalised. The practical path looks like this:

1. Finalise your formulation with exact percentages and correct INCI names — no last-minute tweaks.

2. Gather your supporting documents using the checklist above (MSDS, CoAs, allergens, IFRA, CI numbers, packaging).

3. Commission your CPSR from a qualified safety assessor, choosing the right option for a single product, a fragrance, or multiple variants.

4. Receive Part A and Part B, along with any required label warnings the assessment identifies.

5. Build your PIF around the CPSR and complete your SCPN or CPNP notification.

6. Launch with confidence, keeping your documentation ready for ten years.

Frequently asked questions

What does CPSR stand for?

CPSR stands for Cosmetic Product Safety Report. It is the written safety assessment required for every cosmetic product before it is placed on the UK or EU market, under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and the UK Cosmetics Regulation.

Is a CPSR a legal requirement in the UK and EU?

Yes. A valid CPSR signed by a qualified safety assessor is mandatory for every cosmetic product. There is no exemption for small businesses, handmade products or single batches.

Can I write my own CPSR?

Only if you are a qualified safety assessor holding a degree in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a related science plus cosmetic safety training. Most brands commission it externally.

How much does a CPSR cost?

Prices typically range from around £55 for a simple anhydrous product to several hundred pounds for complex emulsions, with discounts for variants of the same base formula.

What is the difference between a CPSR and a PIF?

The CPSR is the safety assessment document. The PIF is the larger dossier that contains the CPSR plus formulation, labelling, manufacturing and testing records. You cannot have a compliant PIF without a valid CPSR.

Do I need a separate CPSR for every product variant?

Not always. One CPSR can sometimes cover variants sharing the same base formula, such as colour shades, but changes to fragrance, preservative, actives or intended use usually require a separate assessment.

Final thoughts

A CPSR is the foundation of legally selling cosmetics in the UK and EU. It is the expert-signed proof that your product is safe, the gateway to your PIF and product notification, and the document that protects you from enforcement, delisting and liability. Far from being red tape, it is the single most important step in turning a great formula into a product you can sell with total confidence. If you know your formulation is ready, the next move is simply gathering your documents and commissioning the report — and if you are still unsure whether your product even needs a CPSR, or which type applies, that is exactly the kind of question our qualified assessors answer every day.

Authoritative references: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (EUR-Lex); the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013 (legislation.gov.uk); OPSS cosmetics guidance (gov.uk). This article is general information, not formal regulatory or legal advice for a specific product.