Is it legal to sell my homemade skincare products?

 

The good news is that you can sell your homemade skincare products as long as each individual product has a CPSR (cosmetic product safety report). You will also have to comply with a few more regulations on labelling and good manufacturing practices (how you make your skincare products) and register each product you sell on the GB Cosmetics Notification Portal.

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None of this is as complex as it sounds! Find out about the laws on selling homemade beauty products in the UK.

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I read that I need a cosmetic safety assessment before I can sell my homemade skincare. What is this?

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A cosmetic safety assessment (or CPSR - cosmetic product safety report) is a document that a qualified cosmetic chemist or assessor will prepare. It will confirm that the cosmetic or skincare product you want to sell complies with all the cosmetic regulations within the UK and that it is safe to use and sell to the public. Find out about the UK legislation for starting a cosmetics business.

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What does CPSR stand for?

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CPSR stands for Cosmetic Product Safety Report. The problem is that it gets called by many different names in the UK, but they are all similar. Each product you want to sell must have a CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report). This report also includes different names and descriptions, such as Cosmetic Certification, Cosmetic Safety Assessments, CPSR Certification, and Cosmetic Assessment. They are all the same thing. Find out all you need to know about getting CPSR's and a list of recommended cosmetic chemists in the UK.

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Do I need cosmetic certification to sell on Etsy?

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Yes, you need a CPSR (cosmetic product safety report) for each and every different product you sell, no matter where you sell them. For instance, if you have five lip balms and each has the same base recipe but different essential oils (i.e., peppermint, orange, etc), then you will need five different CPSRs. 

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However, as the five lip balms are basically the same ingredients apart from the essential oils, you can get your CPSRs for a lower price - see details on cosmetic safety assessment prices in the UK.

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I'm only selling to friends and family, I don't need a cosmetic safety assessment do I?

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Yes, you do. It doesn't matter who you are selling to; if you are selling cosmetic products in the UK each product must have a cosmetic product safety report. 

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I want to set up my own natural skincare business, do I need to go on a course to learn how to make skincare products?

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Going on a course is one way of getting started, but it depends on what type of products you are interested in making, how much development and research you want to do and how knowledgeable you wish to be about the products.

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There are lots of courses on making skincare, some of which you attend in person and some which you can do online. It will very much depend on the time you have available and your budget. You can also buy some great books to help get you started and work your way through the process at your own pace.  

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Also, check out the Brand & Go products on the DIY Natural Skincare Product Recipe page, where you can either make these products and brand them as your own to sell or use them as ideas and develop them further into your formulations.

 

​Once you have a product or two up and selling, you can expand your product range and your business by going on a course or learning about product research and developing your own products.

 

It may be a good idea to try a few skincare recipes out to see how you get on and how much you enjoy doing it first. Try creating products for family and friends and get their feedback!​

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