Project service

Cosmetic product notifications (CPNP, SCPN, FDA).

Your products notified to the correct portal in each market, filed correctly and only after your confirmation.

Cosmetic product notifications service, page banner

What the law requires

The right portal, in each market, before sale.

A notification is the record you file with the authorities that tells them a product exists, what is in it, and who is legally responsible for it. Most markets require this record to exist before the product is placed on sale, not after.

In the EU, Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 requires notification through the Cosmetic Product Notification Portal (CPNP) before a product is placed on the market. In the UK, a product made available in Great Britain is notified through the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification (SCPN) service operated by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). In the US, MoCRA requires each marketed product to be listed with the FDA, with facility registration alongside it. A missing or incorrect notification leaves a product on sale unlawfully and is one of the common causes of market-surveillance action.

The portals do not share data. A CPNP notification does nothing for the UK, and an SCPN notification does nothing for the EU. A product sold in both markets is notified twice, once in each. Switzerland works differently again: it has no pre-market notification portal at all, which we cover further down.

Notification portals
EU: the CPNP, under Article 13 of Reg. 1223/2009.
UK: the SCPN service operated by OPSS.
US: product listing with the FDA under MoCRA.
Switzerland: no portal, post-market inspection instead.
Required before a product is placed on sale.

Who can file

Only the appointed responsible party can submit.

In every market, notification is legally tied to the party responsible for the product, so it cannot be self-filed by a brand established outside that market.

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

Every cosmetic needs its own filing per market: CPNP for the EU, SCPN for Great Britain, and an FDA product listing for the US. None reads the others. CIG files all three for $150 per product per notification, with the data checked against your file before submission.

Legal basis: CPNP (European Commission), SCPN portal (GOV.UK), FDA Cosmetics Direct.

Access to CPNP is restricted to an EU-established Responsible Person. A brand based outside the EU cannot open an account and cannot self-notify, so the notification is filed by the appointed EU Responsible Person. The same holds in the UK, where only a UK-established Responsible Person can file through SCPN, and a PO box or mail-forwarding address does not qualify as an established address. In the US, the product listing is submitted by the Responsible Person named on the label, and a foreign manufacturing facility must also designate a US Agent physically present in the United States.

We hold or coordinate the correct responsible-party mandate for each market you sell in, then file the notification against that mandate. Where CIG acts as your Responsible Person or US Agent, the filing runs on our access. Where you already have a mandate in place, we prepare the notification and file it against your existing access. The account and its notifications remain transferable, so appointing us does not lock your records away from you.

How CIG covers it

What is included.

We prepare each notification, file it to the right portal, and only submit once you have confirmed.

We prepare each notification with the correct product, category, ingredient and labelling details for that portal.

We file to the right portal for each market: CPNP, SCPN or FDA product listing.

We flag nanomaterials and CMR substances, which carry extra notification steps described below.

We file only after your confirmation, never without it.

We keep your notifications current and update them when your formula, packaging or the rules change.

We keep an audit trail of what was filed, to which portal, and on what date.

What each portal asks for

The details that go into a filing.

Each portal asks for a defined set of product information. The CPNP itself is free to use, so the work is in preparing the record correctly, not in a portal fee.

EU

CPNP

A CPNP notification covers the product name, category and function, the Responsible Person contact details, the full INCI formulation, images of the label and packaging, the CPSR reference with the assessor details, and the manufacturing country and batch information.

UK

SCPN

An SCPN notification covers the product category and name, the UK Responsible Person details, the location of the Product Information File, an emergency contact, nanomaterial and CMR-substance details, the framework and ingredient formulation, and images of the label and packaging.

US

FDA listing

A US product listing gives the FDA the marketed product and its ingredients, tied to the Responsible Person named on the label and to a registered facility. There is no FDA fee to list a product, and an FDA Establishment Identifier is required before you submit.

Listing a product with the FDA does not mean it is FDA approved. The FDA does not approve cosmetic products before market. Listing records the product; it does not endorse it.

Edge cases

Where a filing needs more than the standard record.

Some products carry an extra step. A product containing nanomaterials requires a separate notification under Article 16 of Reg. 1223/2009, in addition to the standard CPNP notification, and nanomaterial and CMR-substance details are called out in the UK SCPN filing as well.

Product variants matter too. A shade, scent or size that changes the formulation is treated as a separate product for notification, so a range of colours or fragrances is usually notified variant by variant rather than once for the line. We confirm where variants collapse into a single record and where they do not before we file, so you are not paying to notify records that could be combined, or under-notifying records that must be separate.

Claims and labelling reach the portal too. The label images and category you notify have to match what you sell. Where a claim needs review, or a drug-style claim risks pushing a US product out of cosmetics rules and into stricter drug requirements, we flag it before filing rather than after.

Watch items
Nanomaterials: a separate Article 16 notification in the EU.
Each formulation variant is usually its own record.
CMR substances are called out at notification.
Label images and category must match the product on sale.
Drug-style US claims can move a product out of cosmetics rules.

Who it is for

Brands putting products on sale across markets.

If you are launching products in the EU, UK or US, each must be notified to the correct portal before it goes on sale. This service suits brands that want their notifications prepared and filed correctly, either as standalone filings or bundled into a launch pack or MoCRA registration.

Why brands choose CIG for this
The correct portal for every market, filed correctly.
Fixed, per-product pricing.
Human confirmation before anything is filed in your name.
A full audit trail of what was filed and when.

What we need from you

The inputs that let us file.

A notification is only as ready as the information behind it. For most filings, we need the following from you or your manufacturer.

The full formulation with INCI names and percentages, or the framework formulation where the portal accepts one.

The product name, category and function, and any shade, scent or size variants.

Label and packaging artwork as images, matching what you will actually sell.

The signed CPSR for EU and UK filings, with the assessor details, or our own assessment where we produce it.

The manufacturing country and facility, plus batch information, and for the US the facility registration and FDA Establishment Identifier.

A flag on any nanomaterial or CMR substance, so the extra notification steps are handled up front.

If a piece is missing, we tell you exactly what is outstanding rather than filing an incomplete record. Where you do not yet have a signed CPSR or a Product Information File, we can produce those as part of the same engagement so the notification has something to sit on.

Timelines

How long a notification takes.

Once the documentation is ready and the responsible-party mandate is in place, a CPNP notification is typically submitted within a few business days. The slow part is rarely the filing itself. It is the preparation behind it: the signed safety report, the finalised label, and the appointment of the Responsible Person.

Because only the appointed responsible party can file, a first-time launch has to allow for that setup before the notification can go in. Industry guidance commonly advises starting the notification process several weeks ahead of a launch date, so we recommend beginning the responsible-party appointment and documentation early rather than in the final week before sale.

For the US, timing is deadline-driven rather than launch-driven. A product already on the market had to be listed by the MoCRA deadline. A new product is listed within 120 days of being marketed in the US, and facility registration renews on a two-year cycle tied to each facility's own initial registration date.

Rough timing
CPNP filing: usually a few business days once documents are ready.
Start setup several weeks before launch, not the final week.
New US product: listed within 120 days of marketing.
US facility registration: renews every two years.

How it fits the other markets

One product, four regimes.

Notification is one step in a wider compliance chain that differs by market. Here is where it sits.

EU

The CPNP notification comes after the Product Information File and signed CPSR are in place, and it is filed by your EU Responsible Person. A nanomaterial adds a separate Article 16 notification.

UK

Great Britain is a separate regime from the EU. It needs its own UK Responsible Person and its own SCPN notification. Northern Ireland follows the EU route rather than the GB route, so it aligns with CPNP.

Switzerland

There is no notification to file. Switzerland has no pre-market portal and relies on post-market inspection by cantonal laboratories, so instead of a filing you need a Swiss-address responsible person and a Product Information File kept for ten years.

US (MoCRA)

The US listing is filed with the FDA as part of MoCRA registration, tied to the Responsible Person on the label and a registered facility, with a US Agent for a foreign facility.

Selling into all four markets means one product, four separate obligations, filed and maintained separately. We hold the mandates and file the notifications across all of them in one place, so you are not stitching together a different provider per market.

Pricing

Fixed, transparent pricing.

A notification per product, included in the launch pack, or part of MoCRA registration for the US listing.

CPNP / SCPN notification, per product $150
EU and UK launch pack (notification included, per product) $1,500
US product listing, part of MoCRA registration setup $900

Prices in USD, per product unless noted.

See full pricing →

Where this service fits

Notifications in your compliance path.

FAQ

Common questions.

The EU uses the CPNP portal under Article 13 of Reg. 1223/2009, the UK uses the SCPN service operated by OPSS, and the US requires product listing with the FDA under MoCRA. Switzerland has no notification portal at all. We file to the right portal for each market you sell in.

No. CPNP and SCPN are separate systems that do not share data. A CPNP notification does nothing for the UK, and an SCPN notification does nothing for the EU. A product sold in both markets is notified twice, once in each. Northern Ireland follows the EU route, so it aligns with CPNP rather than SCPN.

Access to CPNP is restricted to an EU-established Responsible Person, and SCPN filing is restricted to a UK-established Responsible Person. A brand based outside those markets cannot self-notify. We hold or coordinate the correct mandate for each market and file against it. Where you already have a mandate, we prepare the notification and file it on your existing access.

The CPNP portal itself is free to use. The cost is in appointing a Responsible Person and preparing the record. A CPNP notification needs the product name, category and function, the Responsible Person contact details, the full INCI formulation, images of the label and packaging, the CPSR reference with the assessor details, and the manufacturing country and batch information.

Usually yes, where the variant changes the formulation. A shade, scent or size with a different formula is treated as a separate product for notification, so a range is typically notified variant by variant. We confirm which variants can share a single record and which cannot before we file.

Yes. A product containing nanomaterials requires a separate notification under Article 16 of Reg. 1223/2009, in addition to the standard CPNP notification. Nanomaterial and CMR-substance details are also called out in the UK SCPN filing. We flag these up front so the extra step is handled before launch.

Once the documentation is ready and the Responsible Person mandate is in place, a CPNP notification is typically submitted within a few business days. The longer part is the preparation behind it, the signed safety report, the finalised label, and the appointment of the Responsible Person, which is why we recommend starting several weeks before your launch date rather than in the final week.

No. The FDA does not approve cosmetic products before market. Listing records that the product exists and what is in it; it does not endorse it. There is no FDA fee to list a product, though an FDA Establishment Identifier is required before you submit.

No. We file only after your confirmation, never without it, and keep an audit trail of what was filed, to which portal, and on what date.

Yes. US product listing is part of MoCRA registration, filed with the FDA and tied to the Responsible Person named on the label and a registered facility. It is covered under our US Agent and MoCRA service, with registration and listing setup at a fixed fee.

Related

Pairs well with.

Need products notified?

Tell us your products and markets and we will quote your notifications at a fixed price.

In practice

Compliance, in the real world.

Product listing entered on screenConfirmation of a completed notification
A portal notification being submitted