Product Categories
Fragrances & Perfumes
Compliance for fine fragrance and body sprays. Allergen declaration under the expanded 2023 list and flammability classification are the two defining requirements.
Fragrance is the category most reshaped by recent regulation, and the one where the label has become a project in itself.
Allergen declaration
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 substantially expanded the list of fragrance allergens that must be individually named on the label, from 24 to around 80 substances, where they exceed 0.001 per cent in leave-on products or 0.01 per cent in rinse-off. Transition periods run to 2026 for new products and 2028 for existing stock. We quantify the relevant allergens, typically by GC-MS, and build the declaration correctly, also checking compliance with the applicable IFRA Standards. The full substance list and the reasoning behind the amendment are set out in our EU fragrance allergen reference. Great Britain has not adopted the expanded list, so a fragrance sold in both markets faces two different ingredient-list obligations.
Flammability
Most fine fragrances are ethanol-based and therefore flammable. Alongside the cosmetic safety assessment, this calls for flash point determination and the correct hazard labelling and transport classification. We handle both so the product is compliant on the shelf and lawful to ship.
Relevant services
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 →Testing
From £75
Stability, microbiology, photoprotection and analytical testing carried out in our three in-house laboratories. Analytical work is not contracted out; results pass directly to the assessor preparing your CPSR.
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 →Frequently asked questions
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.
What testing does Oxford Biosciences provide?
Oxford Biosciences operates three in-house laboratories supporting Annex I, sections 3 to 5 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Services include microbiology (Preservative Efficacy Test to ISO 11930, Microbial Content Test to ISO 17516:2014), real-time and accelerated stability and packaging compatibility, photoprotection testing (in vitro and in vivo SPF and UVA-PF under the current ISO series), and analytical work including heavy metals by ICP-MS, antioxidant capacity by the DPPH assay, and GC/MS constituent analysis of essential oils, hydrolats and perfumes. Analytical work is not contracted out.
What is a CPSR?
A Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) is the safety assessment required by Article 10 and Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 before a cosmetic product is placed on the UK or EU market. Annex I sets out two parts: Part A, the cosmetic product safety information (composition, physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics, stability, exposure and the toxicological profile of each substance), and Part B, the safety assessment, in which a qualified assessor states and reasons the conclusion on safety. It is the pivotal scientific document held within the Product Information File.