UK Cosmetics Regulation in 2026: New Ingredient Bans, Labelling Rules and How to Stay Compliant

2026 has brought real changes to the rules for selling cosmetics in the UK, from newly prohibited ingredients to tighter labelling. This guide covers what has changed and when it takes effect, alongside the standing requirements every product has to meet, and explains at each stage how we help brands stay compliant.

It is general guidance rather than a substitute for a product-specific safety assessment or legal advice. The rules below apply to placing a cosmetic on the Great Britain (GB) market, meaning England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland follows the EU cosmetics system under the Windsor Framework, with its own notification route, so a brand selling specifically into Northern Ireland should treat that as a separate exercise.

What has changed for 2026

Two developments matter most this year: a labelling requirement that came into force at the start of the year, and a new set of ingredient and labelling rules made in January 2026.

The Responsible Person must now appear on the label

Until the end of 2025, a transitional allowance let brands meet the UK Responsible Person labelling requirement through their existing EU arrangements. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) extended that allowance to 31 December 2025. Since 1 January 2026, the UK Responsible Person's name and address must appear on the label of any product placed on the GB market. Label stock relying on the old arrangement is no longer compliant. We review labels and verify INCI listings so the right Responsible Person details, warnings and claims are in place before products go to print.

New ingredient bans and a tighter formaldehyde rule

The Cosmetic Products Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (Restriction of Chemical Substances) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/23) were made on 12 January 2026 and introduce three changes.

• 4-MBC (4-methylbenzylidene camphor, also known as enzacamene), a UV filter used in some sun protection products, is prohibited. From 15 July 2026 it is removed from the permitted UV filters list and added to the prohibited substances list. Products containing it that were placed on the GB market before that date may continue to be made available until the end of 14 January 2027.

• Sixteen substances newly classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR) are added to the prohibited list. From 15 August 2026, products placed on the GB market must not contain any of them. One example is trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO), used in low concentrations in some gel and nail products, which has been classified as toxic to reproduction. Products placed before 15 August 2026 may continue to be made available until the end of 14 February 2027.

• The labelling rule for formaldehyde-releasing preservatives is tightened. Formaldehyde itself is not permitted as an added cosmetic ingredient, but preservatives such as DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and bronopol can release it. From 15 July 2026 the threshold that triggers the mandatory warning drops from 0.05 percent to 0.001 percent of released formaldehyde in the finished product, and the required wording changes from "contains formaldehyde" to "releases formaldehyde".

These follow an earlier 2024 instrument (SI 2024/1334) that added 64 CMR substances to the prohibited list and kojic acid to the restricted list, with grace periods that have now passed. Great Britain is no longer required to mirror the EU, but on chemical safety it has stayed broadly aligned while setting its own timelines, so the restricted and prohibited lists keep moving. If a current product contains a newly restricted ingredient, we can reformulate it to a compliant version and update the CPSR, PIF and labelling to match, including checking for restricted substances that may be present as impurities.

The rest of this guide covers the requirements that apply to every product, new or established.

The UK Responsible Person

No cosmetic can be placed on the GB market without a Responsible Person (RP), who must be established in the UK. The RP is the legal entity accountable for the product being safe and compliant, and is the regulator's first point of contact.

The RP can be the manufacturer, the importer, or a UK distributor selling under its own name. A business can also appoint a third party to act as RP under a written mandate. Anyone who imports cosmetics into Great Britain becomes the RP by default unless they formally appoint someone else.

RP duties include ensuring a compliant safety assessment exists, keeping the product file available for inspection, notifying the product to OPSS, recording and acting on any serious undesirable effects, and taking corrective action where a product is found to be non-compliant.

We do not act as your Responsible Person. What we do is prepare the safety assessment, technical file and labelling that the Responsible Person relies on, so meeting the obligation is straightforward rather than a barrier.

The safety assessment and the CPSR

A product must be assessed as safe before it goes on sale. That assessment has to be carried out by a qualified safety assessor, typically a toxicologist, pharmacist or dermatologist holding the relevant qualifications.

The output is the Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR), which has two parts. Part A gathers the safety information: the formulation, the toxicological profile of the ingredients, exposure based on how the product is used, data on impurities and packaging, and microbiological quality. Part B is the assessor's reasoned conclusion that the product is safe for its intended use, signed off with their credentials.

A CPSR is specific to a formulation and its intended use. A report written for a different product, or one that does not reflect how the product will realistically be used, will not satisfy the authorities. Our Compliance and Documentation service covers the CPSR, with each formula reviewed and assessed by a qualified safety assessor so the conclusion holds up to inspection.

The Product Information File

The CPSR sits inside the Product Information File (PIF), the full dossier held for each product. Under Article 11 of the retained Cosmetics Regulation, the PIF includes a product description, the qualitative and quantitative formula, the manufacturing method with a statement of good manufacturing practice compliance, proof of any claimed effects where the nature of the claim justifies it, the CPSR, and information on any animal testing.

The RP must keep the PIF readily accessible at its UK address, in English, and available to OPSS or Trading Standards on request. It must be kept for ten years following the date the last batch of the product was placed on the market, and updated whenever the formula, supplier, labelling or claims change. Keeping a PIF complete and current is one of the most common things brands fall behind on, so we compile and organise the full file for each product and keep it structured to UK and EU Cosmetic Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.

Notifying through SCPN

Before a product is placed on the GB market it must be notified to OPSS through the Submit Cosmetic Product Notifications (SCPN) service. This is the GB system, and an EU CPNP notification does not cover it. Products previously notified on the EU portal before 2021 had to be re-submitted through SCPN to continue being sold in Great Britain.

Notification is a legal requirement rather than a formality. Failure to notify can result in a fine and a prison term of up to three months.

Manufacturing to GMP

Cosmetics must be manufactured in line with good manufacturing practice. Following ISO 22716, the recognised GMP standard, is the accepted way to demonstrate this. The RP has to be able to show that production, whether in-house or at a contract manufacturer, follows GMP principles: controlled and documented processes, traceable batches, and defined quality control. Evidence of GMP compliance forms part of the PIF. If you would rather not manage production, our cosmetics manufacturing is carried out to GMP, with the batch records and documentation the PIF requires.

Labelling

Alongside the Responsible Person details now required, covered above, a label for the GB market must carry the nominal content by weight or volume at the time of packaging, a date of minimum durability or the period-after-opening symbol, any particular precautions for use, the batch number, the product function where it is not obvious, and the full ingredient list in INCI names in descending order of weight. Imported products must also state country of origin.

Product claims

Claims must not attribute properties to a product that it does not have. Under Article 20 of the retained Cosmetics Regulation, and the six common criteria set out in retained Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013, claims must be legally compliant, truthful, supported by evidence, honest, fair, and framed so the consumer can make an informed decision. Consumer protection law applies to marketing more broadly.

Two points carry the most risk. The burden of substantiating a claim sits with the business, so the evidence for every on-pack and marketing claim should be held in the PIF. And a claim to treat or prevent a condition can move a product into the legal definition of a medicine, which the MHRA regulates separately and far more heavily. The MHRA treats products intended to treat or prevent conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis or acne as medicines rather than cosmetics, and it is the only UK authority that decides the question. Cosmetic claims should stay within the cosmetic function: cleaning, moisturising, perfuming, protecting and keeping skin in good condition. Where a claim needs backing, we advise on appropriate claims testing and supporting evidence so statements such as moisturising, brightening or soothing are defensible.

How we help

Most of the work behind these requirements can be handled for you. If you need a safe formula from scratch, or a reformulation to remove a newly restricted ingredient, that is our bespoke cosmetic formulation work. For a faster route to market, our pre-developed cosmetic bases and white label ranges start from formulas built to be compliant. Production can be carried out to GMP through our cosmetics manufacturing, with the records the PIF requires. And the regulatory paperwork itself, the CPSR, the PIF, label and INCI review, claims substantiation and stability testing, sits within our compliance and documentation service.

We build compliance into product development rather than treating it as a final hurdle, so a product reaches the market both effective and fully documented. To talk through where your products stand, get in touch.