Product law (EU) · Open card
The EU Responsible Person
No cosmetic product may be sold in the EU without a Responsible Person established inside the EU.
A brand based outside the EU (for example in Switzerland or Morocco) cannot act as its own Responsible Person (RP) for the EU market.
- The RP must be a natural or legal person established in the EU.
- For imported products, the importer is the RP unless another EU person is designated in writing.
- The RP's name and address must appear on the packaging.
- The RP keeps the Product Information File, notifies the product in CPNP and is the contact for authorities.
Practical options: your own EU entity, your importer or distributor, or a specialised RP service provider.
Legal basis: Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Art. 4, 5
As of: 17 Sep 2026
Sources:
EUR-Lex · Regulation (EC) 1223/2009
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Create a free accountOrientation, not legal advice. Rules change; the date above says when this card was last checked against the sources.