Business Solutions
E-commerce Solutions
Selling cosmetics online changes who is responsible and where. We handle Responsible Person designation by market, marketplace documentation, online claims and the importer duties that distance selling can trigger.
Selling cosmetics online changes who is responsible and where. The market in which the consumer sits determines the rules that apply, and the act of importing a product to fulfil an online order can quietly make the seller a Responsible Person. For online sellers, the compliance question is rarely just about the product; it is about the route to the customer.
Marketplaces demand documentation
Amazon and the other major marketplaces require valid safety documentation and Responsible Person details for cosmetic listings, and they remove non-compliant listings and suspend sellers who cannot produce them. Getting a product live is therefore as much about the file behind it as the listing itself. We make sure the CPSR, the Responsible Person and the notification are in place and that the documentation a marketplace asks for can be produced on demand.
Distance selling and the importer trap
Cross-border online sales are where sellers most often acquire duties unknowingly. A Great Britain seller importing stock from the EU to fulfil orders becomes an importer under the GB regime, and an EU-facing seller importing from outside the Union becomes an importer there, and an importer carries Responsible Person obligations unless another established party holds them. The destination market sets the applicable regime, so a brand selling into both the UK and EU needs a Responsible Person in each.
Online claims and labelling
A claim on a product page is subject to the same rules as a claim on the pack, so the marketing copy, before-and-after imagery and ingredient highlights on a listing all fall under the Common Criteria and have to be substantiated. The mandatory information a consumer would read on the label must also be available to the buyer before purchase.
What we provide
We designate the Responsible Person for each market a brand sells into, prepare the CPSR, review both the label and the listing copy for compliant claims, and assemble the documentation packs the marketplaces require, so an online range can scale across platforms and borders without tripping a marketplace takedown or an importer duty no one planned for.
Relevant services
Responsible Person
From £149 · per product, per year
Oxford Biosciences acts as your Responsible Person in the UK and the EU under a single quality management system, holding the regulatory obligation: PIF maintenance, SCPN and CPNP notification, labelling oversight, and cosmetovigilance.
Learn more →CPSR
From £70 · 2 to 3 days
The Cosmetic Product Safety Report is the safety assessment required under Article 10 and Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 before a cosmetic product may be placed on the UK or EU market. Prepared and signed by a qualified safety assessor.
Learn more →Labelling
From £195 · from receipt of artwork
Independent review of packaging artwork against Article 19, and of product claims against the six Common Criteria of Regulation (EU) 655/2013. Label review £195; per-claim review from £125; substantiation dossiers from £1,495.
Learn more →Claims Testing
From £5,000 · 3 to 5 months
Clinical efficacy studies that generate the measured evidence a cosmetic claim needs, to a standard a regulator or a broadcaster will accept. For anti-ageing, brightening and other performance claims.
Learn more →Frequently asked questions
What compliance do I need to sell cosmetics online?
The same as offline, plus attention to where you sell and how you fulfil. The destination market sets the rules, marketplaces require valid documentation and Responsible Person details, online claims are regulated like on-pack claims, and importing stock to fulfil orders can make you the Responsible Person.
What do I need to sell cosmetics on Amazon UK?
Selling cosmetics on Amazon UK carries the same legal requirements as any Great Britain sale: a valid Cosmetic Product Safety Report, a UK-established Responsible Person, SCPN notification to the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and compliant labelling, including the UK Responsible Person's details on the label since 1 January 2026. Marketplaces increasingly ask sellers to evidence this documentation. Oxford Biosciences provides the CPSR, acts as your UK Responsible Person, and manages the SCPN notification so your listings meet the requirement.
What is a Responsible Person?
Every cosmetic product placed on the EU or UK market must have a Responsible Person established within that jurisdiction. Under Articles 4 and 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, the Responsible Person is the legal entity that holds the regulatory obligation for the product: it maintains the Product Information File, makes the CPNP or SCPN notification, oversees labelling, and handles cosmetovigilance and contact with the competent authority. It is not simply a postal address. Oxford Biosciences acts as Responsible Person in both the UK and the EU under a single quality management system.
How are cosmetic claims regulated?
Cosmetic claims are regulated as statements of fact, not marketing copy. Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and Commission Regulation (EU) No 655/2013 establish six Common Criteria that every claim must meet: legal compliance, truthfulness, evidential support, honesty, fairness, and informed decision-making. Evidence must exist before a claim is published and remain on file. Oxford Biosciences reviews claims per claim (£125, minimum five) and prepares formal Claims Substantiation Dossiers suitable for the Product Information File and for production to a competent authority or the Advertising Standards Authority.
What must appear on a cosmetic label?
Article 19 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 sets out the mandatory particulars: the Responsible Person's name and address, the nominal content, the date of minimum durability or the period-after-opening (PAO) symbol, precautions for use, the batch number, the product function, and the list of ingredients in INCI nomenclature. In Great Britain the same requirements apply through the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013, and since 1 January 2026 the UK Responsible Person's details must appear on the label of products sold in GB. Oxford Biosciences reviews packaging artwork against these requirements for £195.