Product Categories
Nail Care
Compliance for nail polish, gels and treatments: methacrylate monomer restrictions, the professional-only line for HEMA, and the flammability of solvent removers.
Nail products combine reactive chemistry with frequent skin contact, which is exactly the combination regulators watch.
Monomers and sensitisation
UV-cure gels and acrylics rely on methacrylate monomers, several of which are strong skin sensitisers. HEMA and Di-HEMA trimethylhexyl dicarbamate are restricted under Annex III to professional use, with specific warning requirements, following Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1099. Historic concerns around formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers, toluene and certain phthalates also feed into the assessment. We check the formula against the current restrictions and set the warnings accordingly. A current change to watch is the photoinitiator TPO (trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide), used to cure gels: reclassified as a reproductive category 1B substance, it is prohibited on the Great Britain market under SI 2026/23 from 15 August 2026, and the EU has restricted it too.
Solvents and flammability
Acetone and other solvent-based removers are flammable and need flash point determination and the correct hazard labelling alongside the cosmetic assessment. As with other categories, the assessment distinguishes professional-use products from those sold to consumers, because the exposure and the labelling differ.
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 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.
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.