Introduction

No perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, cologne or body mist may legally be sold to consumers in the UK or EU without a valid Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR). This is not a best-practice recommendation it is a statutory requirement under Article 3 and Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, and applies identically in Great Britain under the retained UK version of that Regulation. Fragrance products carry particular regulatory attention because of their allergen content and typically high number of individual aroma chemicals, many of which are separately restricted or require declaration under IFRA (International Fragrance Association) Standards.

Spectra's certified safety assessors qualified in toxicology, pharmacy or an equivalent recognised discipline prepare a complete CPSR for your single-fragrance formulation. This includes a full toxicological review of every raw material, verification against the current IFRA Standards, and a fragrance allergen assessment mapped to the labelling thresholds set out in the Cosmetics Regulation, giving you a legally defensible, market-ready safety file.

What Is a Fragrance CPSR?

A CPSR is the formal safety assessment a qualified assessor must complete before any cosmetic product including a fragrance can be placed on the market. It is built in two parts: a factual data section (Part A) covering exactly what is in the product, and a scientific conclusion (Part B) confirming the product is safe under its intended and reasonably foreseeable use. For fragrance products specifically, the CPSR must also demonstrate that the concentration of every fragrance material including any of the 26 allergens subject to mandatory labelling falls within safe and legally compliant limits.

What's Included

• Part A — Cosmetic Product Safety Information
  • Full quantitative and qualitative formulation breakdown by INCI name
  • CAS and EC numbers for every raw material
  • Concentration levels and functional role of each ingredient
  • Impurity and trace-substance screening
  • Physico-chemical characteristics (appearance, pH, stability data where applicable)
  • Microbiological quality considerations
  • Exposure assessment based on realistic use patterns (application frequency, quantity, retention on skin)
    
    
• Part B — Cosmetic Product Safety Assessment
  • Toxicological profile of each ingredient, referencing published toxicological data and SCCS opinions where available
  • Margin of Safety (MoS) calculation using No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) data and the exposure assessment from Part A
  • Assessment of dermal sensitisation and irritancy potential
  • Assessor's rationale and final, signed safety conclusion
  • Conditions and warnings required for safe use, feeding directly into your label copy
    
    
• IFRA & Allergen Compliance Review
  • Cross-check of every fragrance material against the current IFRA Standards Amendment for maximum permitted concentrations and any prohibited or restricted materials for the relevant product category
  • Identification and quantification of any of the 26 declarable fragrance allergens present above the labelling threshold
  • Confirmation of correct allergen labelling requirements for your specific market
    
    
• PIF-Ready Formatting
• • Delivered in a format that slots directly into your Responsible Person's Product Information File, with no reformatting required before submission or inspection

Legal & Regulatory Framework

• Article 3, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 — general safety obligation for cosmetic products
• Annex I, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 — structure and content requirements for the CPSR (Parts A and B)
• Schedule 34, Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/696) — the UK's retained version of the Regulation, in force since 1 January 2021
• SCCS Notes of Guidance — the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety's methodology for toxicological risk assessment, exposure modelling and NOAEL derivation
• Current IFRA Standards Amendment — industry safety standards for fragrance materials, referenced by assessors as part of best-practice safety evaluation
• Annex III, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 — substances subject to restrictions, including the list of fragrance allergens requiring declaration above defined concentration thresholds

Only a person holding a recognised qualification in toxicology, pharmacy, medicine or an equivalent discipline may sign a CPSR. Once issued, your Responsible Person is legally required to hold the CPSR within the Product Information File, retained for 10 years after the last batch of the product is placed on the market, and to make it available in English to enforcement authorities such as Trading Standards on request.

Who Needs This Service

• Independent and artisan perfumers launching a single signature scent
• Niche and indie fragrance houses entering the UK or EU market for the first time
• Private-label and white-label fragrance brands commissioning a single formulation
• Candle, diffuser and home fragrance brands where the product is classified as a cosmetic (e.g. certain body-adjacent or leave-on fragrance formats)
• Established brands extending their range with a new single scent

Process & Turnaround

1. Submit your formulation — full INCI list with concentrations, IFRA certificate or fragrance house allergen breakdown, and packaging details.
2. Ingredient screening — every material is checked against SCCS toxicological criteria and the current IFRA Standards.
3. Assessment and drafting — a qualified assessor completes the MoS calculation and toxicological review, then drafts Parts A and B.
4. Review and sign-off — the completed CPSR is checked and formally signed by the assessor.
5. Delivery — your finished CPSR, IFRA compliance note and allergen summary are delivered, ready for your PIF and for SCPN/CPNP notification.

Deliverables

• Signed CPSR (Parts A & B), formatted to Annex I
• IFRA compliance summary
• Fragrance allergen declaration summary
• PIF-ready documentation package

Why Choose Spectra

Spectra's assessors work across toxicology, cosmetic chemistry and UK/EU regulatory law, so your fragrance CPSR reflects both the scientific and legal standard your Responsible Person and enforcement authorities will expect. Every report is signed, traceable and prepared with your onward SCPN/CPNP notification in mind reducing the back-and-forth that comes from mismatched documentation.

FAQs

Do I need a separate CPSR for each fragrance?
Yes, each distinct fragrance formulation requires its own safety assessment. If you have several scents built on the same base, our Multiple Fragrances CPSR service can assess them together more cost-effectively while still giving each its own documented conclusion.

Is this CPSR valid for both the UK and EU?
Yes. It's prepared against the shared legal basis both jurisdictions use Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and supports notification on either the UK's SCPN portal or the EU's CPNP.

What information do you need from me to get started?
Your complete fragrance formulation with concentrations, an IFRA certificate or allergen breakdown from your fragrance supplier, CAS/EC numbers where available, and details of your intended packaging.

How are fragrance allergens actually handled in the report?
We identify every declarable allergen in your formulation, quantify it against the labelling threshold set out in Annex III, and confirm exactly how it needs to appear on your ingredient list a common point of failure in fragrance compliance.

Does the CPSR expire?
Not in the sense of a fixed date, but it must be kept up to date. Any reformulation, new supplier data, or new safety information requires the CPSR to be reviewed and, where necessary, revised.