Glossary

CPSR – Cosmetic Product Safety Report

Each cosmetic product must have its own Cosmetic Product Safety Report before they can be marketed within the EU. The report requires specific product information and test data in Compliance with Annex I, EC Regulation 1223/2009 which came into effect in July 2013. The CPSR is made up of two parts; Cosmetic Product Safety Information and a Cosmetic Product Safety Assessment

To find out more, please Contact Us

MSL also offer the testing services which are required for the Safety Report.

PIF – Product Information File

Each cosmetic product must have its own Product Information File, it must contain specific information as it states in Article 11 of the Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. This is a legal requirement and the files are open to inspection by the competent authorities. The file must be retained for 10 years after the date of the last batch of product was placed on the market.

RP – Responsible Person

Only cosmetic products that have an individual or a company within the EU as a “responsible person” can be placed on the market. The RP is legally responsible for holding all the documentation on the product. They are usually the company that manufactures the product, has it manufactured or if they are outside the EU and don’t have an EU agent then they can assign a third party company to take on the role. Contact Us to find out more about MSL acting as your Responsible Person.

GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice ISO 22716

Good manufacturing practice guidelines means having procedures in place to ensure that products are prepared in a clean environment and that the products do not become contaminated. It is one of the requirements of the New European Regulation for Cosmetics. Every Cosmetic Product on the European Market will have to be produced according to the Good Manufacturing Practices including imported products. All contributors in the cosmetics products chain require have a GMP statement.

For more information please Contact Us

CPNP – Cosmetic Products Notification Portal

The Cosmetic Products Notification Portal is an online notification system created for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products. The Regulation requires that the responsible person, the distributor or a third party company submits some information about the product being placed or made available on the European market through the CPNP. The CPNP makes the information submitted available to the Competent Authorities.

To find out more, please Contact Us

SDS – Safety Data Sheet

A Safety Data Sheet can also be known as Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), or Product Safety Data Sheet (PSDS). It is not obligatory to provide safety data sheet for the cosmetic product, although it is required for the Cosmetic Product Safety Report and Product Information File. There is also a legal requirement under Health and Safety legislation and CLP Regulation to provide a certain amount of information for cosmetic products regarding transport and safe handling. For more information please Contact Us

REACH – Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.

REACH is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. REACH applies to all chemical substances; not only those used in industrial processes but also in our day-to-day lives for example in cleaning products. To comply with the regulation, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU.

To find out more, please Contact Us

INCI – The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients

The labels on all cosmetic and personal care products must contain a list of ingredients used. For products that are small and difficult to label, there are special exceptions. The ingredient listing may be on a leaflet, this being indicated by the use of a hand pointing to an open book logo on the outer packaging. Some people may be allergic to one or more ingredients that are used in cosmetic products, a customer can check the ingredients on the label and will know which products to avoid.

For help with labelling your products, please Contact Us

BPR – Biocidal Product Regulation

The Biocidal Product Regulation (EU) 528/2012 concerns the placing on the market and use of biocidal products. The Regulation covers a very diverse group of products, including disinfectants, pest control products and preservatives. All biocidal products require an authorisation before they can be placed on the market, and the active substances contained in that biocidal product must be previously approved.

If you are unsure whether your product or active substance is regulated under BPR, Contact Us for more information.

CLP – Classification, Labelling and Packaging

The CLP Regulation No 1272/2008 adopts the United Nations’ Globally Harmonised System on the classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS) across all European Union countries, including the UK. Before placing chemicals on the market, the industry must establish the potential risks to human health and the environment of such substances and mixtures, classifying them in line with the identified hazards. It ensures that the hazards presented by chemicals are clearly communicated to workers and consumers in the European Union before they handle them.

CAS – Chemical Abstracts Service

A CAS number is a unique number assigned by Chemical Abstracts Service to every chemical when it enters the CAS Registry database. A CAS Registry Number is unique and specific to only one substance. The database contains a wide variety of substances, including the world’s largest collection of:

Organic compounds
Inorganic compounds
Metals
Alloys
Minerals
Coordination compounds
Organometallics
Elements
Isotopes
Nuclear particles
Proteins and nucleic acids
Polymers
Nonstructurable materials (UVCBs)

UKAS – United Kingdom Accreditation Service

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the British government to assess the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. Accreditation is a formal, third party recognition of competence to perform specific tasks. UKAS accreditation means the evaluator can demonstrate to its customer that it has been successful at meeting the requirements of international accreditation standards.

MSL is a UKAS accredited laboratory. Please refer to our Scope of accreditation.

ISO – International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. MSL have been assessed and certified as meeting the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 which sets out the requirements of a quality management system. We want to ensure our services constantly meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved.

SIEF – Substance Information Exchange Forum

One of the objectives of REACH is to limit animal testing as far as possible. Data Sharing and Substance Information Exchange Forum is a mechanism for data sharing about chemicals to reduce testing on vertebrate animals. Before new tests are conducted, potential registrants have to take part in the data sharing mechanisms set up and will need to check whether the same substance has already been registered, or whether another potential registrant is making an inquiry to register the same substance at the same time.

CTPA – The Cosmetic, Toiletry & Perfumery Association

The CTPA represents all types of companies involved in making, supplying and selling cosmetic and personal care products, the CTPA acts as the voice of the UK industry. They have regular contact with the key UK Government departments that control the safety and supply of cosmetic products in the UK. This enables them to provide us with the most up-to-date interpretation and guidance on regulatory matters affecting cosmetic products in Europe.

QC – Quality Control

Quality control (QC) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the customer. QC is similar to, but not identical with, quality assurance. MSL offer QC testing, please Contact Us

PET – Preservative Efficacy Testing

Preservative Efficacy Test, also known as Challenge Test is the demonstration of the effectiveness of the preservative system used in your cosmetic products. The test determines whether specific organisms that are added to the products are suitably reduced over time. The ISO 11930 method is written specifically for cosmetic products. This test is required for all cosmetic and personal care products in the United States and follows the guidelines set forth by USP 51. MSL offer both methods of the Preservative Efficacy Testing which are recognised in all international markets.

USP – United States Pharmacopoeia

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific non-profit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, dietary supplement products, and ingredients distributed and consumed worldwide. These standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers to help to ensure that these products are of the appropriate identity, as well as strength, quality, purity, and consistency.

AMB – Aerobic Mesophilic Bacteri

Mesophiles are Microorganisms such as some species of Bacteria, Fungi and even some Archaea that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, typically between 20 and 45 °C.

BP – British Pharmacopoeia

The British Pharmacopoeia makes an important contribution to the role of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in protecting public health by providing quality standards for UK pharmaceutical substances and medicinal products.

BSI – British Standards Institute

The British Standards Institution (or BSI), is a multinational business services provider whose principal activity is the production of standards and the supply of standards-related services. The Group operates internationally in 172 countries.

EP or PH. EUR – European Pharmacopoeia

The European Pharmacopoeia is a published collection of monographs that describe both the individual and general quality standards for ingredients, dosage forms and methods of analysis for medicines.

SCS – Society of Cosmetic Scientists