What is CPNP?
As enshrined in Article 13 of EU Reg. 1223/2009, before placing a cosmetic product on the European market, the responsible person must transmit some informations in electronic format to the European Commission.
The CPNP (Cosmetic Product Notification Portal) is the European notification portal for cosmetic products that allows companies to transmit all the information requested on the product directly by the Responsible Person or whoever is delegated.
The CPNP portal is common to all European Union member states and therefore contains the notification of all cosmetic products in circulation on the European market.
CPNP registration for cosmetics: obligations and data
Registration with the CPNP for cosmetics must be carried out by the Responsible Person for placing the product on the European market and whose name and address are shown on the product label.
The most important and necessary data for registering cosmetics in the European market to be transmitted to the CPNP are:
- Name of the product and cosmetic product category: the indication of the name must be very specific in order to uniquely identify the product, as it is shown on the label, so the brand, line and name must be indicated. From this information the function of the product must be clear;
- Product label and photo: in order to unequivocally identify the product identification;
- Name and address of the responsible person: as the holder of the product information file (PIF – product information file) to be kept immediately available to the competent authorities in the event of a request.
It’s important to remember that if a product is sold in different countries and the name is different according to the language sales market, all language versions must be notified one by one.
In the event that a product is imported into European territory from a non-EU country, the importer automatically becomes the Responsible Person and therefore must register the cosmetic product on the CPNP.
The notification on the CPNP must be updated whenever there is any change, such as, for example, the change of name, the change of the label or brand graphics, a change in the format, or even if the Responsible Person changes.

The information transmitted to the CPNP
The information transmitted to the CPNP must be accurate and undoubtedly represent the product that has been decided to place on the market. Specifically, the notification to the CPNP must indicate:
- the name or names of the product by which the product can be identified;
- trademark, product line and specific name including function;
- name and address of the Responsible Person;
- if the product is intended specifically for children under 3 years of age;
- the data of the person who can be contacted in an emergency;
- the state of origin in case of foreign import;
- member state of the European community of the first placing on the market;
- the presence in the product of nanomaterials or CRM substances (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction);
- the outline formulation of the product, with which it is possible to recognize the category and the substances present;
- the packaging and the product label.
Access to transmitted information: CPNP who can verify it?
Access to the information transmitted to carry out the CPNP verification is limited exclusively to the competent authorities for the purposes of market surveillance and market analysis. The Commission immediately makes the information available to poison centers or similar bodies regularly set up by the Member States in order to identify the correct medical treatment in the event of adverse events.