CPNP Notification for Korean Cosmetics: 6 Steps

Before a Korean cosmetic can be sold in the EU, a responsible person (RP) established in the EU must notify it on the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP).

The RP needs a cosmetic product safety report and a product information file (PIF) in place first, and its name and address go on the label. A Korean manufacturer cannot do the CPNP notification itself from outside the EU, so in practice the importer, or an RP service it appoints, does the work.

The rules come from Regulation (EC) 1223/2009¹. If you plan to import Korean skincare into the EU, these are the steps.

Step 1: Decide who will be the responsible person

Under Article 4, only cosmetics with a designated legal or natural person in the EU acting as RP may be placed on the market. For imported products the importer is the RP by default, though it can appoint another EU-based party in writing. A distributor that sells a product under its own name or trademark, or modifies it, becomes the RP.

As an importer you can take on the role yourself or use a specialised RP service. Taking it on gives you control but also the legal liability. Using a service, or asking the Korean brand to appoint one, can make sense if several distributors sell the same product.

Step 2: Check ingredients and label against EU rules

Compare the full ingredient list with Annexes II to VI. Some ingredients allowed in Korea are banned in the EU, as our Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions comparison shows.

Article 19 requires the label to show the RP’s name and address, the country of origin for imported products, the nominal content, the date of minimum durability or period after opening, precautions, the batch number, the product’s function and the ingredient list.

The language is set by the law of each Member State where the product is sold. For converting Hangul ingredient lists, see INCI names for Korean ingredients.

Step 3: Commission the safety report (CPSR)

Article 10 requires a safety assessment under Annex I before the product is placed on the market. Part B of the report must be signed by a safety assessor qualified in pharmacy, toxicology, medicine or a similar discipline.

The assessor needs the quantitative formula, raw material specifications, stability and microbiological data, packaging information and exposure calculations, most of which only the Korean brand and its manufacturer can supply. Ask for this data before you commit to a range.

Step 4: Build the product information file (PIF)

Article 11 requires the RP to keep a PIF for each product, available at the address on the label for ten years after the last batch was placed on the market.

It contains the product description, the safety report, the manufacturing method and a statement of GMP compliance, proof of claimed effects and data on any animal testing. GMP compliance is normally shown with ISO 22716; see CGMP vs ISO 22716 and our product information file guide.

Step 5: Notify the product on CPNP

Article 13 requires the RP to submit product information electronically before placing the product on the market, through the CPNP². According to the Commission, once a product is notified on CPNP no further national notification is needed within the EU. Access requires an EU Login account and an authorisation profile for the organisation.

The notification covers the product category and name, RP details, the country of origin for imports, the Member States where it will be sold, nanomaterials, CMR substances, formulation information and the label. Products with nanomaterials need a separate notification six months before they are placed on the market (Article 16; see the Commission’s nanomaterials page³).

Step 6: Keep up the duties after launch

The RP must report serious undesirable effects to the national authority (Article 23) and update the PIF and notification when the formula or label changes. Keep animal testing statements on file, since the EU bans products tested on animals to meet its requirements; see our Korea animal testing ban guide.

Great Britain is separate

Since Brexit, products sold in Great Britain are notified through the UK’s SCPN service, with a UK-based responsible person. Our UK SCPN vs EU CPNP comparison explains the differences.

SEONGWOO GLOBAL supplies Korean skincare to overseas buyers from Seoul. If you are an EU importer looking for Korean products, contact us through the pages below.

Related articles: UK SCPN vs EU CPNP · Korea vs EU ingredient restrictions · Product information file

Related pages: Brands · FAQ · Contact us

Notes

1. Publications Office of the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

2. European Commission, Cosmetic product notification portal, verified 2026-10-25. ↩

3. European Commission, Nanomaterials, verified 2026-10-25. ↩