Safety of cosmetic products available in the market has been the primary focus of the cosmetic regulation. In accordance with the same, the European Union (EU) regulation EC1223/2009 has been in place to govern manufacture, labeling, and supply of personal care products and cosmetics in the European Economic Area (EEA).

However, this regulation was replaced with EU Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC on 11th July, 2013 which further simplifies the process consistently across the EU. The purpose of the protection has been further accentuated with the applicability of new regulation, under which a PIF (Product Information File) needs to be maintained for the product intended to be marketed in the EEA.

The respective health authority should be notified and the information pertaining to the safety, manufacturing, labeling and other supporting information must be documented. Subsequently, the cosmetic products have to undergo Safety assessment, resulting in the preparation of a Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR), with specifically defined scenarios for Infants, and 3 years of age, and other special scenarios as required.

It also emphasizes label and package information, including the INCIs and warnings. The claims and the supporting documentation also form a part of the assessment. CPSR can broadly be segregated under Part A (Cosmetic Product Safety Information) and Part B (Full Safety Assessment). The term CPSR, is a relatively new term used in EC1223/2009.