How My Aromatherapy Products Went Through the CPSR Process
The Work Behind Ensuring Safety
This year, I launched my first pre-blended face oil collection.
In this post, I’d like to share my personal experience of the CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report) process, which was a required step before these products could be offered for sale in the UK.
What is CPSR?
The CPSR is a mandatory safety assessment required in the UK for any product that comes into contact with the skin.
It involves a detailed review of the formulation, including ingredient safety, allergen content, and usage levels, all assessed by an independent safety assessor.
For bespoke, one-to-one aromatherapy blends created following a personal consultation, a CPSR is not required.
However, when a product is made available for general sale, submission of a CPSR becomes a legal requirement.
🔍 Documents required for the CPSR
For this application, I needed to gather documentation for every carrier oil and essential oil used in the formulation, including:
- SDS (Safety Data Sheet)
- Allergen information
- IFRA (International Fragrance Association) 51st Amendment
- Technical data sheets (ingredient details, shelf life, etc.)
- Official documentation from raw material suppliers
These documents provide the evidence used by the assessor to evaluate product safety.
Even when you have full confidence in the quality and safety of your ingredients, a cosmetic product cannot be approved for sale without formally documented data that can be independently verified.
This step is essential in ensuring products can be used safely and with confidence.
Many suppliers already have these documents prepared, and in many cases they can be downloaded directly.
Shelf-life information is often included within technical data sheets, making it possible to confirm this from the documentation provided.
However, when information was unclear or missing, I contacted suppliers directly to request clarification.
While this process is detailed and time-consuming, I believe that having full transparency about the origin and safety of each ingredient is a fundamental responsibility when creating products for others.
🌿 Why I changed one of my long-used ingredients
During the CPSR process, I made the decision to change one ingredient that I had used and trusted for a long time.
Although I was very happy with its quality and aroma, my business size meant that the supplier was unable to provide the documentation required for CPSR submission. As a result, I could not obtain all of the necessary safety data.
This decision was not related to the quality of the supplier or their materials. They remain a reputable company, but documentation access was limited to businesses of a certain scale.
For the CPSR submission, it was essential that:
- All required documentation could be formally disclosed
- The information could be used as part of a third-party safety assessment
Based on this, I chose to switch to an alternative supplier who could provide full documentation.
Although it was not an easy decision, having complete safety data was ultimately more important. This felt like a necessary choice in order to responsibly offer products for sale.
🧪 Shelf life and ingredient management
Shelf-life information is also included as part of the CPSR documentation.
For each ingredient, I confirmed shelf-life based on:
- Information provided in technical data sheets
- Direct responses from suppliers
Where necessary, I also record purchase dates and usage start dates.
Final product shelf life is set according to the ingredient with the shortest confirmed stability period.⸻
🧴 Is a stability test required for oil-based products?
For oil-based formulations, a separate stability test is not generally required.
However, I was advised that:
If a PAO (Period After Opening) symbol is to be displayed with a clearly defined justification, a stability test would be required.
At this stage, I proceeded based on supplier-provided shelf-life data and did not carry out additional stability testing.
This is something I may consider in the future, depending on how the range develops.
🌿 Reflections on the CPSR process
The CPSR process itself is very methodical:
- Collecting documentation
- Reviewing technical details
- Organising data
- Contacting suppliers when clarification is needed
It took significantly more time than I initially expected.
That said, working through each requirement — ingredient safety, allergen verification, and internationally recognised usage limits — gave me a strong sense that the foundations of product safety were being carefully supported behind the scenes.
The process also deepened my own understanding of the oils I work with, and reaffirmed the importance of aromatherapy that is grounded in evidence and responsibility.
The CPSR has now been successfully completed, and the face oils are ready to be offered as products. Please explore from here: Preblended face oils collection
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. 🌿