Guides / Importing cosmetics · Updated 30 September 2026

Importing cosmetics into Great Britain: responsible person, SCPN and customs

Selling imported cosmetics in Great Britain needs a UK-based responsible person, an SCPN notification, a GB-compliant label and a correct customs declaration. Here is how the pieces fit together.

Cosmetics are one of the easiest product types to get wrong when you import into Great Britain, because two separate sets of rules apply at once. Product safety rules decide whether you may sell the goods at all. Customs rules decide how the goods cross the border. Clearing customs does not make a product compliant, and a compliant product still needs a correct import declaration. This guide walks through both sides, using GOV.UK guidance from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and HMRC.

Great Britain uses SCPN, not the EU CPNP

The EU notifies cosmetics through its Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP). Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has its own service: Submit Cosmetic Product Notifications, usually shortened to SCPN. According to the OPSS guidance, a product must be notified through SCPN before it is made available in GB. If your supplier tells you a product is "already notified" because it appears on the CPNP, that covers the EU market, not the GB one.

Northern Ireland is different. The GB guidance applies to England, Scotland and Wales only, and for Northern Ireland the responsible person must be established in Northern Ireland or the EU. If you sell into both GB and NI, plan for two sets of obligations.

Products containing certain nanomaterials may also need a separate nanomaterial notification. The guidance explains when this applies; check it before listing a product if your formulation includes nanomaterials.

You need a GB responsible person

Every cosmetic product made available in GB must have a responsible person with a UK-established address. OPSS is explicit that a mail-forwarding address or PO box does not count. The responsible person can be:

• the manufacturer,
• the importer,
• a distributor who puts the product on the market under its own name or brand, or
• a person appointed in writing to act as responsible person.

For an overseas brand selling into GB, the practical question is who takes this role. If you import and nobody else has been appointed, the responsibility is likely to sit with you as the importer. Decide this before the first shipment, because the responsible person's name and address must appear on the label.

Safety assessment and the product information file

Before a product reaches consumers, a qualified safety assessor must assess it. The guidance says the assessor needs a university degree in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline. The responsible person then keeps a product information file (PIF), which includes:

• a description of the cosmetic product,
• the product safety report,
• a description of the manufacturing method and good manufacturing practice,
• proof of any effects claimed for the product.

The PIF must be kept for 10 years after the last batch of the product was made available. An EU PIF may be a useful starting point, but the GB responsible person is the one who must hold it and stand behind it.

Labelling basics

The OPSS guidance lists what must appear on the container and packaging. In summary:

• the name and address of the responsible person,
• the country of origin for imported products,
• the nominal content by weight or volume,
• the date of minimum durability or period after opening, as applicable,
• precautions for use,
• the batch number or other identification,
• the function of the product, if not clear from its presentation,
• the list of ingredients (this can appear on the packaging only).

The customs side

Product compliance and customs clearance run in parallel. HMRC's import guidance sets out the steps, and the ones that matter most for cosmetics are:

EORI number

To import into GB as a business you need an EORI number starting with GB.

Commodity code

Every line on the declaration needs a commodity code. HMRC describes these as internationally recognised reference numbers: the first six digits are used worldwide, and the UK adds further digits. You find the code with the UK Trade Tariff tool. The code drives the duty rate and VAT treatment, and it also tells you whether a licence, preferential rate or other measure applies. Cosmetics span many headings (perfumes, make-up, hair products, soaps and so on), so classify by what the product actually is, not by the marketing name. If classification is unclear, HMRC suggests getting someone to help you with customs.

Import declaration

The goods need an import declaration in the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). Most businesses use an agent. Under direct representation the importer remains liable for the declaration; under indirect representation the agent is jointly liable. Our guide to CDS import declarations explains what the agent needs from you, and customs procedure codes covers how the procedure is chosen.

Import VAT

If you are VAT registered, HMRC's guidance explains how to reclaim import VAT, using the import VAT certificate (C79) as evidence where relevant. Keep your import records, as HMRC expects them to be retained.

A practical order of work

1. Confirm who will be the GB responsible person and that they have a UK-established address.
2. Obtain or commission the safety assessment and assemble the PIF.
3. Check the label against the GB requirements and plan any relabelling.
4. Notify each product through SCPN before it is made available in GB.
5. Get a GB EORI number, classify the goods and brief your customs agent.
6. Clear the goods through CDS and keep the paperwork.

For a wider walk-through of the product side, including restricted substances and a checklist, see Plutos's cosmetics import compliance guide. If you are weighing up whether to use an agent for the customs part, read do you need a customs broker.

Related guides

• EU sellers sending stock to UK fulfilment warehouses

• UK VAT registration for EU businesses: when it is required

• Importing toys from Poland and the EU into Great Britain

Sources

• Making cosmetic products available to consumers in Great Britain (GOV.UK)
• Import goods into the UK: step by step (GOV.UK)
• Finding commodity codes for imports or exports (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.