Cosmetic products

If you manufacture or sell cosmetic products in the Netherlands, you must comply with the European Cosmetics Regulation and the Dutch 2011 Commodities (cosmetic products) Act.

Product information

Manufacturers or suppliers of cosmetic products must be able to provide information about the product. If the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit, NVWA) asks you for specific product information, you must make this information available within 3 working days.

Product safety

Manufacturers or importers of cosmetics must be able to demonstrate that their products are safe. They can do so by means of a safety evaluation performed by a pharmacist, toxicologist, dermatologist or cosmetic chemist.

Labelling

Cosmetic product labelling must include information about the purpose of the product, the quantity and shelf life.

Notification

Before you manufacture a cosmetic product or if you are the first to import it into the European Union, you must send a notification to the European Commission by using the Cosmetic Product Notification Portal. This also applies to cosmetic products that contain 'new' nanomaterials.

Animal testing

Strict rules apply to carrying out animal tests involving cosmetics or their ingredients, or having such tests carried out and to selling cosmetics whose ingredients have been tested on animals.