Brussels, 16/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Consumer safety has everything to gain from the new Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP), which has just been launched in the European Union as part of the application process for the new European regulation on cosmetic (EC Regulation 1223/2009). The launch of this tool was announced on Friday 13 January by the Commission and its application by the industry will be obligatory as from 11 July 2013.
The online information portal will allow the cosmetic industry, and in certain cases distributors, to submit information about the products placed on the EU market. The Commission stressed that this is of critical importance to poison centres so that they can react quickly to help callers in case of poisoning and to national authorities for better market surveillance.
The CPNP online notification system has been available since 11 January to the authorities of member states in charge of the market monitoring, analysis, evaluation and consumer information about consumer products, which is passed on to European anti-poison centres and those responsible for cosmetic products. As from 11 July 2013, it will be accessible to cosmetic product distributors.
This one-stop shop will help reduce the administrative burden on industry. To facilitate its use, the Commission published in instruction manual for using this information technology tool. The manual indicates whether a product has been notified in good and due form but does not necessarily say whether the product in question has met all the different requirements in Regulation 1223/2009.
This new regulation on cosmetic products (adopted in 2009 to replace Directive 76/768 on cosmetic products) is currently being implemented. It brings a robust and state of the art legal framework, which strengthens the safety of cosmetic products, streamlines the framework for all actors, and simplifies procedures, thus creating a true internal market of cosmetic products. The manual can be consulted at: http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/sectors/cosmetics/files/pdf/cpnp_user_manual_en.pdf (AN/transl.fl)