UK regulatory guide

Switching your UK Responsible Person.

The UK role changes hands the same way it was created: by written mandate. What makes a GB switch different from an EU one is the SCPN, the GB-specific label, and the fact that many brands use the moment to consolidate both markets with one partner.

A GB product dossier prepared for handover to a new UK Responsible Person

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

How do I switch my UK Responsible Person?

Same shape as the EU process: sign a written mandate with the new UK Responsible Person, transfer the product file to their UK address, update the SCPN notification, then update the GB label. The old mandate ends only once the new arrangement fully covers every product.

The continuity rule is identical to the EU's: under the UK Cosmetics Regulation, a product on the GB market must have a Responsible Person at every moment. Sequence the handover so there is never a day without one.

What happens in the SCPN?

Each product's notification in the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification service must move to the new Responsible Person, who takes the products over under their own SCPN account. As with the EU portal, this needs cooperation from both sides. Secure access before ending the old relationship.

The filing runs through the SCPN portal, with enforcement sitting with the Office for Product Safety and Standards. A takeover is also the right moment to true-up filings against current formulas. The mechanics are in our SCPN notification guide.

Do my GB labels change?

Yes. The UK Responsible Person's name and address are mandatory on products sold in Great Britain, so new production must carry the new details, whether printed or applied as a GB sticker. Existing stock transitions on a plan agreed between the outgoing and incoming Responsible Persons.

If your GB presence runs on stickers over EU artwork, the switch is cheap: a new sticker. If the GB address is printed into the artwork, fold the change into your next print run and check the rest of the pack at the same time against our label requirements guide.

Should I switch my EU and UK roles together?

If both are changing hands anyway, yes. One partner holding both roles keeps the EU and GB dossiers aligned, coordinates the two label changes into one artwork cycle, and gives you a single point of contact when a formula change has to flow through both markets' filings.

The two processes run in parallel but through different portals and different mandates. The EU side is covered in our EU switching guide. Consolidation is the most common reason brands come to us for a UK switch in the first place, as noted in the UK RP requirements guide.

How long does a UK switch take?

With a complete product file, the mandate, file transfer and SCPN updates are a matter of weeks. The GB label transition sets the longer clock, though the sticker route makes the UK switch faster than most EU ones. Missing documents, not process, are what cause delays.

When we take over as UK Responsible Person, onboarding includes the file review and the SCPN updates, priced per product with no surprises. See pricing. Request a takeover quote.

Sources

Primary sources cited in this guide. Regulatory status last verified 26 July 2026.