What is a CPSR and why is it important?

What is a CPSR and why is it important? There are many different cosmetic company’s out there who sell a wide range of products. You have make-up, perfume, shampoo and of course, beard products and all of these need to be safe to use. It is actually a legal requirement but some company’s are still refusing to get their products properly checked.

Let’s get into the detail of what is a CPSR and why is it important?

So, you want to make a Beard Oil?

So, you want to make a Beard Oil? That is great news. Beard products are in high demand as more and more men decide to throw their razors away. Yes, there are a lot of company’s doing the same thing but competition is always a good thing!

What do you do first? Well, you need to do some research into what essential oils you need to create your scent. You also need to find out what carrier oils you want to add to your product. Then the fun starts and you can start experimenting.

Now, you have your oil, you’ve tried it and everything seems okay. You start advertising on social media and perhaps building a website to sell your product on. So, you can start selling it straight away, right?

Wrong!!

You cannot sell your product legally at this point. Why? I’m glad you asked.

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If you make, import, distribute or sell consumer products in the UK, you are responsible for making sure they are safe for consumers to use and following the legal requirements in relation to labelling.

You could face action if a product is found to be unsafe or causes harm to consumers, including legal action.

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That is taken from the Gov.uk website and is just the opening statement with regard to product safety. You can read the full article here.

It is extremely important when dealing with products that touch your skin that you get them thoroughly tested to ensure they don’t cause harm. This is where the CPSR comes in.

CPSR

A CPSR is a Cosmetic Product Safety Report and it is essential when selling a cosmetic product such as a beard oil. In fact, it is a legal requirement to have one for each product you sell.

Cosmetics EU regulation No 1223/2009 states that to sell a cosmetic product in the UK you must have a CPSR for marketed products. There are two parts to a CPSR and I will explain them in a bit more detail below.

Part A – Cosmetic product safety information

This first section requires product information and test data. If you don’t have any test data you can ask a CPSR company to do it for you. You will need

• Quantitative and qualitative composition
• Physical/chemical characteristics and stability
• Microbial quality
• Impurities, traces in the product and information on the packaging material
• Toxicological profile of the ingredients

and there are more things in this section that will need to be looked at to ensure the product is safe for use.

Part B – Cosmetic product safety assessment

You then need to get a safety assessor’s expert opinion as to why the product is safe to be placed on the market. This includes…..

• Assessment conclusion
• Labelled warnings and instructions of use
• Reasoning
• Assessors credentials and final approval of part B

Once these have been completed and you get your certificate, then you can start to sell your product. Result! You can read a full report on understanding the CPSR at sgs.com.

What can happen if I don’t get one?

Well, the consequences can be severe if you don’t get one. It is a criminal offence to supply cosmetic products which do not comply with the regulations or other requirements.

These EU requirements are implemented in the UK by the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in your goods being seized. You can also be prosecuted with a fine of up to £20,000 or up to 12 months in prison.

Now, I’m pretty sure that no one really wants to spend time in prison and most small businesses couldn’t afford to pay a £20k fine! So, for a smaller initial outlay starting at around £99 per product, it is definitely worth getting the CPSR done for your own piece of mind and the safety of others. It is a no brainer!!

So, obviously all Beard Companies have one?

You would like to think so wouldn’t you. Unfortunately there are a few that don’t believe they need to follow the rules. The vast majority do, thankfully, and if you want information on those company’s please email me at tony@thebeardedbrit.com.

Sadly though, there will always be those that know best. I spoke to one company about their products and asked if they had CPSR forms for their stuff. This is what they said in reply.

I am not going to name the brand as I am hoping they reconsider for the benefit of their own brand, the safety of their customers and to make sure they are compliant to the law.

They say it isn’t mandatory.

Well, I’m not sure where they got their information from but it is 100% mandatory. Like, the risk of a £20k fine or 12 months in prison mandatory!

It actually annoys me that company’s think they can break the trust of the people who spend their hard-earned cash on their products. If there is a legal requirement then a company shouldn’t trade unless they have the CPSR.

It is extremely pig headed of anyone to think because they have tested it with their friends, then it is 100% safe. Not only that but, if you don’t have the funds to pay for the CPSR then you shouldn’t start selling it.

Do reviewers have a responsibility in this?

In my humble opinion, yes. As a reviewer of Beard Products, I feel it is my duty to be honest with the people who read my reviews. In fact, I won’t review a company’s product unless they have, or are currently going through the process of obtaining, a CPSR.

The very fact that there are people out there that would lie about such a thing is a disgrace and gives the genuine reviewers a bad name. Docks Bearded Reviews wrote a blog about fake reviews and although he didn’t name the people in question, it certainly opens your eyes. One of the reasons was due to a reviewer lying about a company having a CPSR when they didn’t.

All small batch beard company’s have to start somewhere and getting reviews before they launch is a good way of getting exposure. Finding the right reviewer/s can be hard but there are some out there and I like to think I’m one of them! Daniel of Docks Bearded Reviews is one of the few that I trust.

Conclusion

I know of and have reviewed several company’s that have or are getting a CPSR and it is these guys that should be getting your business. If a company decides not to spend a small outlay in order to have a legally safe product then, I’m sorry to say, they deserve to be fined. If they continue to refuse to get a CPSR then they need to be called out. Am I the person to do that? Maybe, but I do like to give people a chance to do the right thing!

So, if you have or are thinking of starting a small batch beard co, please take my advice and get your products CPSR approved. It takes a couple of months and a small initial outlay, depending on how many products you release. Having a CPSR will instantly give you trust amongst reviewers, other company’s and customers.

If you are looking at buying some new Beard products then check to see if they are CPSR approved. The company’s that are will be more than happy to show you their CPSR forms. Do not buy products from a company that is not CPSR registered as you could be putting yourself and others at risk.

Thank you for reading What is a CPSR and why is it important?

Take care, stay safe and keep growing

Tony