UK regulatory guide

UK Responsible Person requirements, explained.

Since Brexit, Great Britain requires its own Responsible Person: established in the UK, named on the label, and separate from any EU appointment. This guide answers who needs one, who can hold the role, and what it does.

A UK Responsible Person reviewing a cosmetic product dossier

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

Does a non-UK cosmetic brand need a UK Responsible Person?

Yes. Under the UK Cosmetics Regulation (Great Britain's post-Brexit version of the EU rules), a cosmetic product may only be placed on the GB market with a Responsible Person established in the United Kingdom. The requirements are set out in the official GOV.UK guidance.

As in the EU, there is no small-brand exemption: any product placed on the GB market carries the requirement, whatever the channel or volume. A brand without a UK establishment appoints one. That is the role our UK Responsible Person service exists to hold.

The retained UK Cosmetics Regulation on legislation.gov.uk with the UK responsible person mandate requirement highlighted
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as retained and amended for Great Britain, on legislation.gov.uk, with the requirement for a UK-established responsible person designated by written mandate highlighted. Captured 26 July 2026. View the official text.

My EU Responsible Person is already appointed. Does that count?

No. An EU-established Responsible Person has no standing in Great Britain. The UK role must be established in the UK, and a brand selling in both markets holds two appointments, files two notifications, and prints two sets of Responsible Person details on its labels.

Before 2021 a single EU appointment covered the UK; it no longer does. The two regimes are mapped side by side in our EU vs UK comparison. The mirror-image requirement on the EU side is covered in our EU Responsible Person requirements guide.

Who can act as the UK Responsible Person?

A person or company established in the United Kingdom, designated in writing. A PO box or mail-forwarding address does not qualify as an establishment: the role needs a real UK presence able to hold the file and answer to the authorities.

Enforcement sits with local authorities and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, with powers under the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013. The Responsible Person is who they come to.

What does the UK Responsible Person actually do?

The same job as its EU counterpart, for a different territory: ensure the product complies with the UK Cosmetics Regulation, hold the Product Information File, verify the safety assessment, file the SCPN notification before sale, and act as the authorities' contact, including in a recall.

The dossier work is largely shared with the EU: a UK-recognised safety assessment usually builds on the same CPSR work with a review pass, and the Product Information File is adapted rather than rebuilt. The full jurisdiction journey is on selling in the UK.

Does the UK Responsible Person go on my label?

Yes. The UK Responsible Person's name and address must appear on products sold in Great Britain, which usually means a UK-specific label or sticker alongside your EU labelling, since the two markets name different Responsible Persons.

This is a packaging-line decision as much as a legal one. A label and claims review before printing resolves the dual-market label question once, rather than product by product. How the GB address block sits alongside EU, Swiss and US particulars is mapped in our label requirements by market guide.

What about Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland follows the EU cosmetics regime under the Windsor Framework. A product sold there needs an EU-side Responsible Person and a CPNP notification. The UK Responsible Person and SCPN cover England, Scotland and Wales.

A brand selling across the whole UK therefore touches both regimes at once. Mapping which products go where, before labels are printed, is the cheapest moment to solve this.

What does a UK Responsible Person cost?

Like the EU role, it is a recurring mandate rather than a one-off fee, because the liability runs for as long as the product is on the market. CIG provides the UK role at a fixed published price as part of its UK Responsible Person service.

Full pricing, including the combined EU and UK launch pack, is on the pricing page.

Can I switch UK Responsible Person later?

Yes. End one written mandate, put a new one in place, then update the SCPN notification and the GB label, which both carry the Responsible Person's details. A product on the market must have a valid Responsible Person at every moment, so sequence the handover before terminating.

Switches most often happen when brands consolidate their EU and UK roles with one partner; holding both with the same firm keeps the dossiers aligned and the label changes coordinated. The step-by-step handover is in our guide to switching your UK Responsible Person.

Put this into practice

From requirement to appointment.

FAQ

UK Responsible Person questions brands ask.

No. The role requires a genuine UK establishment able to hold the file and answer to authorities. A forwarding address or PO box does not qualify, and relying on one leaves your products without a valid Responsible Person.

Usually yes, at least in part: each market's label names its own Responsible Person. Many brands solve it with a market-specific sticker or a dual-address label, a decision worth making once, during label review, rather than per product.

The regimes are close siblings, so an EU CPSR usually carries over with a UK review pass rather than a rebuild. The pass checks annex divergences and UK-specific labelling. It still needs to stand as a UK-recognised assessment in your UK file.

The mandate signs in days; the timeline is set by the dossier. If your EU documentation is complete, the UK adaptation and SCPN filing typically follow quickly, which is why brands often set up both markets together.

Need a UK Responsible Person?

Tell us your products and we will take on the UK role, adapt your dossier and file your SCPN notifications, at a fixed published price, with the liability properly insured.