Do you produce cosmetic products and would you like to distribute them in the European Union? Are you a distributor of cosmetic products and would you like to import cosmetics produced outside of the EU into the EU for the first time and place them on the market? Do you sell cosmetics in a shop or on the Internet via an online store? Are you unclear as to whether your products are considered cosmetics, foodstuffs, or even pharmaceuticals and do you require qualified legal advice regarding the differentiation of these product types or do you distribute cosmetics and have questions regarding the labeling requirements for your products? Are you planning to have your cosmetic products produced by a contract manufacturer and would you like to have the contract manufacturing done on a solid contractual basis?
The production and sale of cosmetics is very complex and requires specialized legal advice from both a contractual and a regulatory perspective. As with all topics in the area of life sciences, the area of cosmetic law has become harmonized in recent times, which means that the same legal regulations apply throughout Europe. The existing laws and directives stipulate the permissible substance composition of cosmetics, the necessary labeling of the products, and the distribution and advertising thereof, during which the general advertising law and in some cases also the drug advertising law must be noted, in addition to the cosmetics law.
What we offer
We can handle the qualification of your products in differentiating between foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals for you and can advise you regarding the respective labeling requirements of cosmetics.
We can provide extensive advice to you regarding the regulations applicable to your products and evaluate your options for importing your cosmetics into the EU via Germany. In doing so, we can register your cosmetics with the relevant national authorities in Germany and with the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP) in the EU.
We will accompany you through the entire contractual process in the area of (contract) manufacturing if you, as a manufacturer of cosmetics, wish to have at least part of the starting materials purchased from third parties and/or wish to have products produced within the scope of contract manufacturing and therefore require clarification of responsibilities and questions of liability in advance of production.
And finally, we will advise and represent you in all questions of competition law regarding the distribution and advertising of cosmetics.
Scope of service
- Reviewing and assessing the requirements for importing cosmetic products into the EU
- Consulting with respect to the legal options and the strategic procedure regarding the qualification of your products
- Registering of the cosmetics with the respective national authorities
- Registering of your cosmetic products throughout the EU at the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety
- Creating and designing contract manufacturing agreements in German and in English
- Consulting in all competition law questions regarding the distribution and advertising of cosmetics
Costs
We normally offer our consulting services to you calculated according to the time spent at a suitable hourly rate. When registering cosmetics, we will agree on lump-sum rates for each registered product. We believe that cost transparency and cost reliability form the basis of successful cooperation. We will be happy to provide you with an estimate of the expected costs before taking the job.
