UK regulatory guide

The SCPN notification, explained.

Since Brexit, a cosmetic product sold in Great Britain must be notified through the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification service, separately from any EU filing. This guide covers who files, what it needs, how it differs from CPNP, and where Northern Ireland fits.

A cosmetic product prepared for notification on the UK market

Reviewed by Cassandra Maddocks, chemist & biochemist · last reviewed 26 July 2026

What is the SCPN?

The SCPN (Submit Cosmetic Product Notification) is Great Britain's cosmetic notification service, operated by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Every cosmetic product placed on the GB market must be notified through it before sale.

The requirements are set out in the official GOV.UK guidance on making cosmetic products available in Great Britain, and enforcement powers sit with authorities under the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013. Like its EU counterpart, the SCPN records the product for authorities. It is not an approval, and nobody reviews the product when you file. Where the notification fits in the wider regime is covered in our UK cosmetics regulation guide.

The retained UK Cosmetics Regulation Article 13 on legislation.gov.uk with the GB notification duty highlighted
Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as retained and amended for Great Britain, on legislation.gov.uk, with the notification duty highlighted. Captured 26 July 2026. View the official text.

Who files the SCPN notification?

The product's UK-established Responsible Person. A brand outside the UK cannot file for itself, and an EU Responsible Person cannot cover Great Britain. The role must be established in the UK, and its name and address go on the label sold there.

This is the same structural rule as the EU's, applied to a separate territory: appointing the UK Responsible Person is the real gate, and the portal filing follows from it. The full journey is on selling in the UK.

Does my EU CPNP notification cover Great Britain?

No. CPNP and the SCPN are entirely separate systems that do not exchange data. A product sold in both the EU and Great Britain is notified twice, by two different Responsible Persons: one established in the EU, one in the UK.

Brands migrating from a pre-Brexit setup often assume their EU history carries over; it does not. The EU side of the equation is covered in our CPNP notification guide.

What about Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland follows the EU cosmetics regime under the Windsor Framework, not the GB one. A product placed on the market in Northern Ireland is notified through CPNP under EU rules. The SCPN covers England, Scotland and Wales.

For a brand selling across the whole UK, that means both systems can be in play at once. It is the single most common point of confusion in UK cosmetics compliance, and worth settling before labels are printed rather than after.

What information does the SCPN need?

Substantially the same picture as the EU notification: the product and its category, the UK Responsible Person's details, formulation information for medical-response purposes, and the label as sold in Great Britain.

As with CPNP, the notification is downstream of the dossier: the formulation details come from the safety assessment work behind the CPSR, and the label you upload should already reflect UK requirements, including the UK Responsible Person's address, checked in a label and claims review.

When must it be filed?

Before the product is placed on the GB market. There is no waiting period and no approval step. Once the UK Responsible Person has notified, the product can be sold in England, Scotland and Wales.

The practical timeline is set upstream, by the Responsible Person appointment and the dossier. With documentation ready, the filing itself is quick; we typically submit within a few business days of a complete file.

What does SCPN notification cost?

The government service itself is free. The real cost is the UK Responsible Person mandate and the dossier behind the filing. CIG files SCPN notifications at a fixed $150 per product as part of its notifications service.

Full pricing for the UK Responsible Person role and the surrounding documents is on the pricing page.

What happens after notification?

The notification must be kept current: reformulations, label changes and a change of Responsible Person all mean updating the SCPN record. A lapsed or inaccurate notification exposes the product to enforcement under the UK regime.

Keeping notifications current across CPNP, the SCPN and FDA listing is exactly the recurring work our Compliance Care service exists for.

Put this into practice

From reading to notifying in the UK.

FAQ

SCPN questions brands ask.

No. The SCPN filing belongs to a Responsible Person established in the UK. An EU-established RP has no standing in the GB system. A brand selling in both markets holds both appointments.

No. Filing records the product for the authorities; nobody reviews or clears it. Responsibility for safety and compliance stays with the UK Responsible Person, and enforcement remains possible at any time after sale.

Both. England is Great Britain, so the SCPN applies; Northern Ireland follows the EU regime under the Windsor Framework, so CPNP applies there. The two filings carry different Responsible Person requirements, which is why this is worth mapping before launch.

The filing itself is quick once the dossier is complete, and the product can be sold as soon as it is notified. The weeks live upstream in the UK Responsible Person appointment and the safety documentation. With a complete file, we typically submit within a few business days.

Ready to notify in the UK?

Tell us your products and we will confirm what the SCPN filing needs, submit it through your UK Responsible Person, and keep it current, at a fixed price per product.